The Splendor of Islamic Calligraphy - Softcover

Khatibi, Abdelkebir; Sijelmassi, Mohammed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500282943 ISBN 13: 9780500282946

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2001

Synopsis

Calligraphy, the art that combines visual image and written word, is perhaps at its most brilliant in the arts of Islam. Islamic calligraphy traditionally took its inspiration from the Muslim belief in the divine origin of Arabic writing, the medium through which the Qur'anic revelation to the Prophet Muhammad was recorded. In early Islam the use of Arabic writing is sacred, and official texts gave rise to a wonderful profusion of scripts and a calligraphic tradition that has flourished for over a thousand yearsnot only in manuscript decoration but in architecture, ceramics, and painting. With chapters on the use of calligraphy in architecture and contemporary painting, The Splendor of Islamic Calligraphy provides a comprehensive and fascinating survey of the subject from its earliest origins to the present day. It explains the geometrical and ornamental principles of calligraphy with the help of numerous line drawings, and examines the interdependence of script and page decoration. It gives an overview of the many complex variations of this most graphic form of writing and traces its evolution up to its current expression in the paintings of artists such as Shakir Hassan. Finally, and perhaps most important, it contains outstanding examples of scriptskufic, thuluth, naskhi, and maghribi among othersin a series of magnificent reproductions of manuscript pages, paintings, and other works of art. 232 illustrations, 98 in color.

About this title

About the Author:

Abdelkebir Khatibi, professor at the Mohammed V University, Rabat, and Mohammed Sijelmasi, a noted art critic, have published books on a variety of subjects associated with Islamic culture and, in particular, the arts of Morocco.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0500282943
• ISBN 13: 9780500282946
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240