Art & Calligraphy

Despite the apparent breadth in theme, Islamic art is known for its coherency and connectedness; there are several elements of Islamic art that remain the same across different mediums, expressions, and concepts. Islamic artists attempt to express not the physicality of their subjects, but to encourage their audience to discover their “meaning and essence” (Hussain). Seldom are the physical qualities of human beings, animals, and other forms of nature present in this art form; many artists aim to avoid “replicating” nature perfectly and instead focus on what natural forces represent (Hussain). Human figures are also almost entirely avoided. People, especially their faces, are specifically left out. Geometric patterns, calligraphy, and floral decoration, then, are some of the common artistic subjects produced during this time. All art was revered with the same level of respect; whether someone was a simple craftsman or a prolific painter, all art was seen as beautiful and a reflection of God’s grace (Hussain).

Geometry, too, was used to make public and private spaces more beautiful, as often seen on the interiors of mosques, governmental spaces, and personal homes. Geometric pattern was said to express the spiritual, and was sometimes called the “language of the universe” (Hussain). Circles are meant to represent God’s infinity; since they have no beginning and no end, they make excellent symbols for God’s unending power. Repetitive patterns, too, aim to remind the onlooker that even a “single element of the pattern,” no matter how small, “implies the infinite total” (Hussain). Islamic artists wanted to make the everyday proceedings of the Muslim empire’s subjects more beautiful, and it continues to influence modern Muslim artists to this day.