Islamic Art

Islamic Art Islamic art is different than Western art. The words of the Koran are art in a sense. That is they are a creation made and the best part of it is the beauty. Those who worship the Koran recognize it as beauty, magical words given down by God. The religion gives inspiration and it is a way to praise God. While in the West the Bible is looked not as an object of art but as something literal to live by. There is a circular pattern and geometric shape to their art. It has shapes which are repeated in a pattern. This is very simple but the end result is complex. It gives the sense of unity in the way that the whole picture is composed of smaller shapes. In Western art this kind of design is looked at differently. It is viewed as something less creative and not coming from the artists mind. The meaning of the art is different to both cultures. In the West the artist needs the credit. Every painting has a signature at the bottom and any type of reproduction should be credited to the original artist. The artist becomes an artist because that is what will pay and that is what he/she is good at. In the east art is a part of life with no signatures. There is no possession put on the work and this gives it a different meaning. The artist is an artist that is the trade passed down through the family. It does not matter if he is born with the trait or not, if art is in the family then he/she is taught. The abstract figures become something living through Islamic art. Calligraphy is the drawing of characters that have space and form. This is done through lots of practice. The space and form give the words their own life. The connection is to the universe through the Koran. The way this happens is through the beauty of how the words are written. In the West words are written to be read, and art is to be looked at. Mosaics are very detailed and need a steady hand. These works are art take a long time and extremely beautiful. Lambskin is dyed in wells for color and passed through the family members. Everyone has their part and there is no distinction between different kinds of art. In the west each person would want to do their own and get credit. The artists of Islamic art are the people as a group who make the art. They do it because it is part of their culture. In the west art is made to get recognized.