The Splendor of Islamic Calligraphy [Anglais] [Broché]

A revised and expanded version of the 1976 edition, this scholarly study displays several hundred spectacular examples of an art form that is underappreciated in the West. Independent scholars living in Morocco, the authors begin by providing a conceptual and historical background to the meaning and origins of Islamic calligraphy. They then explicate the aesthetics, techniques, styles, and structure of the art. New chapters on the use of calligraphy in architecture and contemporary painting (featuring artists Hoosier Zenderoudi, Rashid Koraishi, and Shakir Hassan) enrich the coverage of the subject. The text, which contains information of unquestionable value, is marred only by the turgidly academic writing. Still, this is recommended for public libraries for its illustrations and highly recommended for academic libraries with an interest in the arts.?Eugene C. Burt, Art Inst. of Seattle Lib.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Highly ornamental and beautiful imagery, and perhaps the most distinctive of all scripts.

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 years—not 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 scripts—kufic, thuluth, naskhi, and maghribi among others—in a series of magnificent reproductions of manuscript pages, paintings, and other works of art. 232 illustrations, 98 in color.

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.