islamic calligraphy

aniconic

all islamic art, no images in animal, human, or divine form

shahada

I witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammed is his prophet

tawhid

unity and oneness of God

geometry of the spirit

• shahada

• unity and oneness of God

• indivisible unity of the point is analogous to the oneness of God, the ineffable, infinite mystery of God

the point

• divine tawhid = unity of the point

• point: a location in space representing a position only

• points: building blocks from which other geometric objects are made

• euclid

• but when the point moves it creates something outside of itself - something finite that we can know

euclid

that which has no part - it cannot be divided; it has no length, width, or depth; the point lacks extension, area, volume

what happens when the point moves

• the point creates a line, then an arc, then a full circle

• from the circle comes the triangle, the square, the hexagon, and on

• the point generate forms, dimensions, space that can be measured and experienced

• the point is the center, that which generates all other forms. It is the One that contains the Many

3 elements of islamic art

• geometric patterns: stars, circles, interlacing lines, polygons

• biomorphic designs (arabesques): curvilinear designs based on plant forms: flowers, scrolling vines, stems, leaves

• calligraphy

4 geometric elements of islamic art

• star patterns

• girih patterns

• girih tiles

• tessellations

arabesque

• the vegetal/ floral patterns - the flowing, curvilinear designs based on plant forms (scrolling vines, stylized leaves, flowers)

complex star polygon

• most important star patterns

• range from 5-pointed stars to 16-pointed stars

• these radiate outward with interlacing geometric shapes. Interlacing is what makes them complex.

girih patterns

• girih: from Persian word for “knot”

• interlaced geometric patterns made with angled lines called strapwork

• lines of these polygons overlap; they weave over and under each other forming knot-like designs

• radial symmetry that radiates from central points

• symbolize the interconnectedness of existence

girih tiles

• geometric shapes used in islamic architectural decoration

• five girih tiles

• used to create repeating(periodic) patterns or non-repeating (aperiodic) patterns

• length of the edges of all 5 tiles is exactly the same

• so they can be arranged edge to edge to create patterns

• they are painted with decorative lines or girih patterns on their surfaces

• fit the tiles together. The joints between them disappear, leaving the painted patterns to form the knotwork design

5 girih patterns

• decagon: regular 10 sided polygon

• pentagon: regular 5 sided polygon

• bowtie/ butterfly: an irregular hexagon that resembles a bowtie shape

• rhombus: a quadrilateral with all sides equal length

• elongated hexagon: an irregular hexagon that is longer than it is wide

tessellation

covering surfaces with repeating (periodic) geometric patterns that fit together perfectly without gaps or overlaps

• geometric precision (shapes that interlock seamlessly)

• infinite repetition: no focal point or border - pattern could theoretically continue forever

• symmetry: rotational, reflectional, and translational

• suggests the infinite nature of Allah

purpose of islamic art

to enable humankind to experience the presence of God

• sacrament is something that enables one to experience the presence of the divine

ornament

• islamic art is ornament, more than decoration

• serves as a way to express the inexpressible, manifest the unmanifest, make the visible invisible

• ornaments testify to the existence of Allah and enable humankind to experience presence of allah

allah in arabic

5 calligraphic types

kufic, maghribi, thuluth, naskh, diwani

kufic

sharp straight lines

maghribi

bowls

thuluth

fish hooks

naskh

diwani

graceful

calligraphy

“beautiful” + “writing”

calligraphy is music for the eyes

calligraphy takes the written word and transforms it into performance and worshop

writing is the tongue of the hand

yeah

one performs the world, it is not read silently

qur’an: recitation

• performed through reciting, writing, and viewing the qur’an

• so seeing the word is an occasion for a sacramental experience

• word is transformed into image