INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES

“ART ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY”

NO NAME METRIC NO

1 NURZALIFAH BINTI KASTURI 2017244736

2 SITI NURFAHANA BINTI AB KHALID 2017244324

3 ZULAIKHA BINTI MAT ZAKI 2017236878

4 NORSHAHIRA BINTI NORAN IBRAHIM 2017237444

Group : MAD1181A

Lecturer’s Name : Miss Fazlina bt. Ismail

Course Code : VCS128

Course Name : Introduction to Social & Cultural Studies

Date : 29 December 2017

TABLE OF CONTENT

NO. TABLE OF CONTENT PAGES

1. Introduction & Objectives 4-6

2. The Definition and the background of Islamic Calligraphy 7-9

3. 10

4. 11
 INTRODUCTION

Arabic calligraphy has long been an important part of Muslim culture and
Islamic art. For over a thousand years, Arabic calligraphy has been a strict tradition
that was passed on from generation to generation, from teacher to student. Recently,
artists of the modern age have experimented with traditional Arabic calligraphy
methods and have created, new art form called hurufiyah. Hurufiyah has emerged
among artists of the modern Middle East as an outcome of struggles between
expressing their cultural heritage and the Western conditioning they have experienced.
Islamic calligraphy is considered to have developed into an art during the time of Ali
Ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph and the son-in-law of Muhammad. Not only a
religious leader, Ali Ibn Abi Talib was a great calligrapher and artist. The use and
importance of Islamic calligraphy grew rapidly after his extensive development of the
art. Muslims are cautioned against producing illustrations of living beings, therefore
much of Islamic art is calligraphic. Although it is not seriously considered a real art
form by many western societies, Islamic calligraphy is essential to its own culture
because of its crucial role in religion, architecture and creating unity among Muslims.

OBJECTIVES

 Demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of Islamic art

 Demonstrate an understanding of the history and styles of Islamic calligraphy

 Gather information from a variety of sources,process and record information,and

create a piece of art based on this work

 Gather information the relation between art calligraphy and culture.

 Get to know the meaning and the opinion about the definition of art.

 Gather information about the definition of expressive culture.

THE DEFINITION OF CALLIGRAPHY

 Calligraphy is the most highly regarded and most fundamental element
of Islamic Art. It is significant that the Qur’an, the book of God’s revelations to the
Prophet Muhammad, was transmitted in Arabic, and that inherent within the Arabic
script is the potential for developing a variety of ornamental forms. The employment
of calligraphy has ornament had a aesthetic appeal but often also included underlying
talismanic component. While most work of art had legible inscriptions, not all
Muslims would have been able to read them. One should always keep in mind,
however that calligraphy is principally a means to transmit a text , albeit in a
decorative form.Objects from different periods and regions vary in the use of
calligraphy in their overall design,demonstrating the creative possibilities of
calligraphy as ornament.in some cases,calligraphy is the dominant element in
decoration.in these example,the artist exploits the inherent possibilities of the Arabic
script to create writing as ornament.An entire word can give the impression of random
brushstrokes,or a single letter can develop into a decorative knot.In other cases,highly
esteemed calligraphy works on paper are themselves ornamented and enhanced by
their decorative frames or backgrounds.Calligraphy can also become part of an overall
ornamental program,clearly separated from the rest of decoration.In some
example,calligraphy can be combined with vegetal scrolls on the same surface though
often on different levels,creating an interplay of decorative elements.

Islamic Calligraphy: Background

 Writing has played an important role in the Middle East since the revelation
of Islam to the Prophet Mohammed in the early seventh century in Arabia. Simple
Arabic script was in practice at the time of the Prophet and was used to write down and
preserve the Muslim holy text, the Quran. However, over time, decorative Arabic
scripts, or calligraphy, were developed to preserve the Quran in the most beautiful way
possible. Kufic script, a rigid and angular script, was used predominantly both for
religious and everyday uses for several centuries . By the late ninth century, more than
20 kufic scripts were in use. Around this same time, a cursive script was introduced
called naskh which was used, from that point forward, for most writing purposes. Ibn
Muqla, a calligrapher and vizier to the Abbasid caliphs, created rules by which six
“proportioned scripts” should be written, and Ibn al-Bawwab, a later calligrapher and
illuminator, refined those six scripts. Arabic calligraphy continued to play an important
role in Islamic arts not only for Quranic manuscripts but also for other book
manuscripts, metalwork, pottery, coins, and more in the centuries to come.
ART ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY AND CULTURE

Art is a forms of creative expression that are guided by aesthetic principles

and involve imagination, beauty, skill and style. Art is often defined as the human
desire to create a certain activity such as calligraphy.

From Nathan Knobler opinion, he said that the understanding of an artwork

depends on its function as two different art parties might interpret the art in two
different perspectives.

1) To the artist :

a. It is a form of practice.

b. It is a form of criticism to the society.

c. It is a means of expressing formalistic aspects and iconography.

2) To the audience :
a. Art is a language that links the artist and the audience.

ARTIST ART AUDIENCE

ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC ART

With its geographic spread and long history, Islamic art was
inevitably subject to a wide range of regional and even national styles and
influences as well as changes within the various periods of its development.
It is all the more remarkable then that, even under these circumstanc es,
Islamic art has always retained its intrinsic quality and unique identity.
Just as the religion of Islam embodies a way of life and serves as a
cohesive force among ethnically and culturally diverse peoples, the art
produced by and for Muslim societies has basic identifying and unifying
characteristics. Perhaps the most salient of these is the predilection for
all-over surface decoration.

The four basic components of Islamic ornament are calligraphy and

Arabic script, floral and vegetal motifs (Arabesque), geometric patterns,
and figural representation.

The Art of Arabic Calligraphy :

 The art of the pen

 The art of the writing

 Geometry of the spirit

 Geometry of the line

Calligraphy : The Form of the divine world.

Islam is a religion that descends directly from God, whose revelation is

faithfully transcribed in the Qur’an. The written word, the irreplaceable
instrument for the correct understanding and spread of Islam, thus posseses
excepttional value and has become the object of both aesthetic the point of
death Muhammad commanded: “Bring me something to write with, so that I
can put down in writing, and therefore the book, occupies a place of prime
importance. This was reinforced subsequently by the circumspection with
which, from pre Islamic times, Arabs, fearing its magical power, had always
regarded manifestation of figurative art, especially anthromorphic and
zoomorphic sculpture.

Folio from the "Blue Qur'an"

Object Name: Folio from a non-illustrated manuscript

Date: second half 9th–mid-10th century
Geography: Made in Tunisia, probably Qairawan
Medium: Gold and silver on indigo-dyed parchment
Dimensions: 11 15/16 x 15 13/16 in. (30.4 x 40.2 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheso n Wallace Gift, 2004
Accession Number: 2004.88

DEVELOPMENT OF ARABIC SCRIPT

The primitive Arabic alphabet was of Semitic origin, derived in part from Aramaic
and in part from Nabataean. It was thus improved upon, both syntactically and
aesthetically, to such an extent that before long it was possible to speak of a
calligraphic art of fundamentally Islamic expression, at a time when contemporary art
and architecture were still very the course of theseventh century two main styles of
writing developed:a cursive style,round and flowing,and a more
geometrical,square,severes and concise form,known as Kufic (from the city of kufa in
Iraq),which was widespread in the earlist times,and which was adopted for writing the
Qur’an,

ISLAM AND ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY

a. First revelation of the Quran and other verses

b. Teaching Arabic writing in the first mosque

c. The 40 scribes that recorded the Quran

d. The release of Prisoners of war for teaching others.

e. The collection and copying of the Quran

GEOMETRIC PRINCIPLES

For religious reasons,and above all for linguistic clarity,long vowels were first
indicated with dots in various colours and later on,toward the end of the century,with
diacritical marks in the strict sense,in order to distinguish letters written in a similar
manner.Later still,in the course of the eighth century,the alphabet was enriched with
additional signs standing for short vowels and other indications.The complete scripts
comprising all necessary signs for reading is,in fact,very rarely used,thus rendering
the interpretation of the text problematic;it is composed from a corpus of twenty-eight
consonants and three long and three short vowels,which in general are not
indicated.Calligraphy,then,is an articulate and fully fledged form of art based on a
precise code and complex geometric principles and ornament,and to enjoy it to the
full,it is of course necessary to be able to read the language.From the compositional
point of view,it is comparable to music,with metrical,rhythmic and harmonic values.

PRIMARY STYLE

KUFIC

9th century Qur'an, an early kufic example from the Abbasid period
Bowl with Kufic Calligraphy, 10th century. Brooklyn Museum

Kufic is the oldest form of the Arabic script. The style emphasizes rigid and angular
strokes, which appears as a modified form of the old Nabataean script.. There were no

set rules of using the Kufic script; the only common feature is the angular, linear
shapes of the characters. Due to the lack of methods, the scripts in different regions
and countries and even down to the individuals themselves have different ways to
write in the script creatively, ranging from very square and rigid forms to flowery and
decorative.

VARIATIONS OF KUFIC STYLE :

Five principal Arabic calligraphic cursive styles :

a) Naskh

b) Nasta’liq

c) Diwani

d) Thuluth

e) Ruq’ah
Naskh

The use of cursive script coexisted with kufic, but because in the early stages of their
development they lacked discipline and elegance, cursive were usually used for
informal purposes.With the rise of Islam, new script was needed to fit the pace of
conversions, and a well defined cursive called naskh first appeared in the 10th century.
The script is the most ubiquitous among other styles, used in Qur'an, official decrees,
and private correspondence. It became the basis of modern Arabic print.

Standardization of the style was pioneered by Ibn Muqla (886-940 A.D.) and later
expanded by Abu Hayan at-Tawhidi (died 1009 A.D.) and Muhammad Ibn Abd
ar-Rahman (1492–1545 A.D.). Ibn Muqla is highly regarded in Muslim sources on
calligraphy as the inventor of the naskh style, although this seems to be erroneous.
However, Ibn Muqla did establish systematic rules and proportions for shaping the
letters, which use 'alif as the x-height.

Nasta'liq

Nasta’liq is a cursive style originally devised to write the Persian language for
literary and non-Qur'anic works.Nasta'liq is thought to be a later development of the
naskh and the earlier ta'liq script used in Iran. The name ta'liq means 'hanging', and
refers to the slightly steeped lines of which words run in, giving the script a hanging
appearance. Letters have short vertical strokes with broad and sweeping horizontal
strokes. The shapes are deep, hook-like, and have high contrast. A variant
called Shikasteh is used in a more informal contexts.

Diwani

Diwani is a cursive style of Arabic calligraphy developed during the reign of the
early Ottoman Turks in the 16th and early 17th centuries. It was invented by Housam
Roumi and reached its height of popularity under Süleyman I the Magnificent (1520–
1566). Spaces between letters are often narrow, and lines ascend upwards from right
to left. Larger variation called djali are filled with dense decorations of dots and
diacritical marks in the space between, giving it a compact appearance. Diwani is
difficult to read and write due to its heavy stylization, and became ideal script for
writing court documents as it insured confidentiality and prevented forgery.

Thuluth

Thuluth is developed as a display script to decorate particular scriptural objects.

Letters have long vertical lines with broad spacing. The name reference to the
x-height, which is one third of the 'alif.

Ruq'ah

Ruq’ah is a handwriting style derived from naskh and thuluth, first appeared in the 9th
century. The shape is simple with short strokes and little flourishes.
FLORAL AND VEGETAL PATTERNS ( ARABESQUE)

Object Name: Plate

Date: ca. 1580–85

Geography: Made in Turkey, Iznik

Medium: Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze

Dimensions: H. 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm)

Diam. of rim: 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm)

Classification: Ceramics

Credit Line: Gift of Philippe and Edith de Montebello, 1991

Accession Number: 1991.172

Object Name: Tughra
Date: ca. 1555–60
Geography: From Turkey, Istanbul
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: H. 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm)
W. 25 3/8 in. (64.5 cm)
Mat: 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1938
Accession Number: 38.149.1
SUMMARY

Arabic calligraphy was originally a tool for communication, but with time, it began to
be used in architecture, decoration and coin design. Its evolution into these major
roles was a reflection of the early Muslims’ need to avoid, as their beliefs required,
figures and pictorials that were used as idols before Islam was established in the
Arabian Peninsula.

CONCLUSION

The art of Islamic calligraphy is the art of the beautiful and elegant handwriting in the
Islamic world. Throughout the history, Islamic calligraphy has reformed to many
styles. Some of the significant styles were developed by different calligraphy by
different calligraphy from distinctive parts of the Islamic world, we can see that the
Islamic calligraphy is applied on Islamic architectures and in copies of the Qur’an.
Although it could be considered an insignificant part of society, Islamic calligraphy is
crucial to its culture because of its role in religion and architecture, and its help in
creating unity among Muslims. Calligraphy’s function in religion is mainly due to the
muslim forbid dance of the ‘representation of living beings’(Schimmel, islamic 11) in
art. In architecture calligraphy is used to decorate the interior and exterior of buildings
to help remind citizens of the purpose of the architecture to glorify god. Lastly,
calligraphy helps to unite Muslims because everyone must learn the Arabic language
to participate in prayers and recitations.