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Islamic art is perhaps the most accessible manifestation of
a complex civilization that often seems enigmatic to
outsiders. Through its brilliant use of color and its superb
balance between design and form, Islamic art creates an
immediate visual impact. Its strong aesthetic appeal
transcends distances in time and space, as well as
differences in language, culture, and creed. Islamic art not
only invites a closer look but also beckons the viewer to
learn more.
The term Islamic art may be confusing to some. It not only
describes the art created specifically in the service of
Islam, but it also characterizes secular art produced in
lands under Islamic rule or influence, whatever the artist’s
or the patron’s religious affiliation. The term suggests an
art unified in style and purpose, and indeed there are
certain common features that distinguish the arts of all
Islamic lands. Although this is a highly dynamic art, which
is often marked by strong regional characteristics as well
as by significant influences from other cultures, it retains
an overall coherence that is remarkable given its vast
geographic and temporal boundaries. Of paramount concern to
the development of this singular art is Islam itself, which
fostered the creation of a distinctive visual culture with
its own unique artistic language.
Calligraphy is the most important and pervasive element in
Islamic art. It has always been considered the noblest form
of art because of its association with the Qur’an, the
Muslim holy book, which is written in Arabic.
This preoccupation with beautiful writing extended to all
arts—including secular manuscripts; inscriptions on palaces;
and those applied to metalwork, pottery, stone, glass, wood,
and textiles—and to non-Arabic-speaking peoples within the
Islamic commonwealth whose languages—such as Persian,
Turkish, and Urdu—were written in the Arabic script.
Another characteristic of Islamic art is a preference for
covering surfaces with patterns composed of geometric or
vegetal elements. Complex geometric designs, as well as
intricate patterns of vegetal ornament (such as the
arabesque), create the impression of unending repetition,
which is believed by some to be an inducement to contemplate
the infinite nature of God. This type of nonrepresentational
decoration may have been developed to such a high degree in
Islamic art because of the absence of figural imagery, at
least within a religious context.
Contrary to a popular misconception, however, figural
imagery is an important aspect of Islamic art. Such images
occur primarily in secular and especially courtly arts and
appear in a wide variety of media and in most periods and
places in which Islam flourished. It is important to note,
nevertheless, that representational imagery is almost
invariably restricted to a private context. Figurative art
is excluded from the decoration of religious monuments. This
absence may be attributed to an Islamic antipathy toward
anything that might be mistaken for idols or idolatry, which
are explicitly forbidden by the Qur’an.
In Islamic cultures the so-called decorative arts provide
the primary means of artistic expression, in contrast to
Western art, in which painting and sculpture are preeminent.
Illuminated manuscripts, woven textiles and carpets, inlaid
metalwork, blown glass, glazed ceramics, and carved wood and
stone all absorbed the creative energies of artists,
becoming highly developed art forms. These works include
small-scale objects of daily use, such as delicate glass
beakers, as well as more monumental architectural
decoration, for example, glazed tile panels from building
façades. Such objects were meticulously fabricated and
carefully embellished, often with rare and costly materials,
suggesting that the people for whom they were made sought to
surround themselves with beauty.
Royal patronage played an important role in the making of
Islamic art, as it has in the arts of other cultures. The
construction of mosques and other religious buildings,
including their decoration and furnishings,
 was the
responsibility of the ruler and the prerogative of high
court officials. Such monuments not only provided for the
spiritual needs of the Muslim community but often served
educational and charitable functions as well. Royal
patronage of secular art was also a standard feature of
Islamic sovereignty, one that enabled the ruler to
demonstrate the splendor of his court and, by extension, the
superiority of his state. Evidence of courtly patronage is
derived from the works of art themselves, but an equally
important source of information is the extensive body of
historical texts that attest to royal sponsorship of the
arts almost throughout the Islamic period. These historical
works also indicate that only a fraction of such
court-sponsored art has survived; objects made of precious
materials are particularly rare. From the fourteenth century
onward, especially in eastern Islamic lands, the arts of the
book provide the best documentation of courtly patronage.
Of course, not all works of Islamic art were sponsored by
the court; in fact, the majority of objects and manuscripts
in museum collections originated elsewhere. Such works of
art—including pottery, base metalware, carpets, and
textiles—have often been viewed as the products of urban,
middle-class patronage. These objects nonetheless frequently
reflect the same styles and make use of the same forms and
techniques employed in courtly art.
Whether produced in a courtly or an urban setting or for a
religious context, Islamic art is generally the work of
anonymous artists. A notable exception is in the sphere of
the arts of the book. The names of certain calligraphers are
well known, which is not surprising given the primacy of the
written word in Islam, as are those of a number of painters,
most of whom were attached to a particular court. The
identification of these artists has been based on signed or
attributed examples of their works and on textual
references. Given the great number of extant examples,
comparatively few signatures are found on metalwork,
pottery, carved wood and stone, and textiles. Those
signatures that do occur, combined with rare evidence from
contemporary textual sources, suggest that families of
artists, often over several generations, specialized in a
particular medium or technique.
Additional information on Islamic Art:
http://www.lacma.org/islamic_art/intro.htm
http://www.islamicart.com/
http://www.islamicarchitecture.org/
Downloadable Islamic Art Patterns:
http://www.islamicart.com/members/index.html
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