Islamic Art
Islamic Art By Ruth Ann Harvey REL 231-61 Fall 2003 Islamic Art The religion of Islam has probably become the most misunderstood by the west, of the worlds leading religions. ... The art of Islam is the simplest and most direct way to begin to see into the nature of Islam. By examining the means employed by artists, craftsmen and builders through the centuries one can begin to see the spirit of the religion without the interference of the latest newspaper article or newscast referring to this or that Islamic terror organization. ... The art of any religion is the expression of its purest heart. ... Particularly in the latter we get the beginning of Islamic architecture. ... The opening of interior space afforded by the use of the arch in heavy masonry construction was put to beautiful use in Islamic houses of worship. This can also be said of Christian architecture in Europe, but where the Christian use of the arch seeks a soaring of space upward to heaven, “the Islamic use of the device is one of visual rhythm and symmetry to emphasize the order and perfection of Allah’s creation.”5 This is the crux of the Islamic artistic vision. Though having common ancestry with Christianity in the Old Testament, Islamic architecture does allow itself to soar with the advent of the minaret. ... It is not just the way of using arches or the formalities of mosque floor plans that reflect Islamic values and spirituality. ... While European churches were embellished with a figurative iconography in the paintings and mosaics of Christ and the Saints, Islamic religious art is void of the human figure, and even the depiction of natural forms is highly stylized. Human or animal figures of any kind were forbidden by Islamic law because “the danger of human presumption in making images of living things, the artist usurps a creative act that is reserved to God alone, since only He can breathe a soul into living creatures.”7 Within the text of the Haddith, which is a sacred text of quotes and sayings of Muhammed, there is some detailed teaching against the use of the human form in sacred art.