islamic calligraphy abdul_andrew

8/14/2019 Islamic Calligraphy Abdul_andrew

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ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY

Abdul RasyidAndrew Ang


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CALLIGRAPHY: A HISTORY


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Calligraphy was a way of life,

dating back to ancient times.When man learned to usebrushes to capture spiritualityin the form of language.


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However, the difference Islamhas setItself as an ideology far fromcalligraphical traits of othercultures is the prohibition oflikenesses of any living thing

as an art; iconography.

Early Muslim artists, abiding to thebelief system, cannot go against theprohibition, so they express

themselves instead through simplybeautifying words.


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TOOLS OF THECALLIGRAPHER


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Calligraphy came to embody acalligraphers moral character

structure and not only a perfectedpractice that was achieved throughpatience and discipline.

Every detail, movement, and feel of the

tool used gives the calligrapher anexperience of another magnitudealtogether. The artistry andluxuriousness of calligraphers toolstestify to the pervasive reverence forthe written word that characterized

Islamic societies.The tools also demonstrate in a quitegraphic way the connections thatexisted between calligraphers andSufi orders.


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Muslims travelled and spread the

faith of the Quran. As the Quran waswritten in Arabic, in its calligraphicform, those who read it had tounderstand the language and itsvisual style. Thus, people from foreigncountries adopted the Arabic language

and learned the practice of IslamicCalligraphy.

Another reason for adopting IslamicCalligraphy is that they found it to

have decorative attributes unlikecalligraphy from other countries suchas Japan, Chinese, and Europe.


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Other than in print, IslamicCalligraphy is flexible enough todecorate everyday objects such ascutlery, furniture, and clothing.


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PERSPECTIVES


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BEFOREBefore I had a better understanding ofIslamic Calligraphy, I had little thoughts of

why, in my regular visits to the mosques,there were no other adornments thancarvings and morphed metal Arabic script.

I had already known about the taboo ofhaving paintings and idols in Muslim art and

architecture, but assumed that it wassomething to do with tradition, and havehardly a relation to religion.

~ Abdul


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AFTERWith a more in depth look intocalligraphy of Islam, I had a betterunderstanding to the prohibitions, thementality of the people, the artiststhen.

When one subscribes to a belief system, heor she interprets the world according to their

beliefs, so they may express their devotion totheir God. In doing so, the art evolves intosomething unique to each culture and region,from both the texts they abide by, and howthey can get around the prohibitionsinnovatively.

~ Abdul


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At first glance, I find Islamic Calligraphy tobe a beautiful recording of the language on asurface. The way the language is written issmooth and appealing to the eye. Although Ido not understand the language, I guess thatthe texts give a spiritual message.

What astonishes me even more isthe way the varied texts can take theform of an animal or the shape of anobject- much like typography. The

text itself has a certain resemblanceto motion and movement, as if thelines were dancing. Compared tocalligraphy from other races, IslamicCalligraphy has its own uniquefeature from the rest.~ Andrew ^_^

BEFORE


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After attaining knowledge on Islamic Calligraphy, Ilearn that the art of calligraphy immerses the artist in

a strong link with spirituality. Calligraphy is a sacred

written form of art which can be flexible but at the

same time have religious limitations to it.

Islamic Calligraphy can be used todecorate many everyday items in beautiful

tessellations, but it cannot take the form ofan animal because of religious reasons.

~ Andrew ^_^

AFTER

I still find Islamic Calligraphy as a unique

writing form of language compared to

calligraphy from other countries. IslamicCalligraphy is beautiful but its religious

background shouldnt be taken lightly.


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islamic calligraphy abdul_andrew

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