The Islamic School encompasses the art styles of the Islamic-influenced regions. Works from this school of art range from decorated ceramics, ornate buildings, and elaborately decorated carpets to the ever-popular and respected art of book illumination. Although the sphere of influence of Islam at times spanned areas as far apart as Moorish Andalusia or Far Eastern India, some features characteristic of this school developed thanks to constant exchanges, although the respective regions naturally have their own peculiarities.
One important peculiarity that influenced the artistic style of many of the areas in the Near East and North Africa over time and space was the restraint in the pictorial representation of living beings. Especially in religious contexts, this so-called "prohibition of images" is conspicuous, which - even if it is not directly based on statements of the Koran - was spread by theological and legal efforts. For this reason, the focus was mainly on the development of other forms of decoration.
A central form of design in the Islamic influenced regions is the ornament. Typical patterns of Islamic art include, on the one hand, plant patterns such as leaves and tendrils - called "arabesques" - and, on the other hand, geometric shapes, often consisting of repeating angular or circular segments, often arranged symmetrically. Such ornamental decorations are found, for example, in architecture as tile patterns or mosaics and in illuminated pages of Arabic manuscripts. Another very common characteristic of Islamic art is the decoration with calligraphic Arabic lettering. The art of calligraphy was highly valued practically at all times, and the employment of the best calligraphers was considered a status symbol in the courts of Islamic rulers. The different script styles that developed over time in the regions of the Islamic world - for example, the angular Kufic script from Iraq, or the sweeping Maghrebi script - represent characteristic regional peculiarities. Calligraphic decorations can be found in all areas of art, whether as architectural inscriptions, textile embroidery, or independent works of art. Despite the rejection of figurative representations, pictorial illustrations of humans and animals also occur in Islamic art. Historically, the absence of images is seen more in the Arabic tradition, while they found frequent use, for example, in the Persian, Turkish or Indian traditions, and through their influence also reached the more Arabic areas of the Islamic countries. Persian miniature painting in particular is a prominent source of such illustrations of people and animals, with the help of which a variety of literary works - often poems or mythological representations - were artfully enlivened.
Even though many of the works of art decorated in this way were lost in the course of the long history of their creation, countless examples of this style, even centuries old, are still in circulation. Moreover, even in more recent works, the traditional features of Islamic art continue to be used, keeping alive the typical decorative forms of this school.
The Islamic School encompasses the art styles of the Islamic-influenced regions. Works from this school of art range from decorated ceramics, ornate buildings, and elaborately decorated carpets to the ever-popular and respected art of book illumination. Although the sphere of influence of Islam at times spanned areas as far apart as Moorish Andalusia or Far Eastern India, some features characteristic of this school developed thanks to constant exchanges, although the respective regions naturally have their own peculiarities.
One important peculiarity that influenced the artistic style of many of the areas in the Near East and North Africa over time and space was the restraint in the pictorial representation of living beings. Especially in religious contexts, this so-called "prohibition of images" is conspicuous, which - even if it is not directly based on statements of the Koran - was spread by theological and legal efforts. For this reason, the focus was mainly on the development of other forms of decoration.
A central form of design in the Islamic influenced regions is the ornament. Typical patterns of Islamic art include, on the one hand, plant patterns such as leaves and tendrils - called "arabesques" - and, on the other hand, geometric shapes, often consisting of repeating angular or circular segments, often arranged symmetrically. Such ornamental decorations are found, for example, in architecture as tile patterns or mosaics and in illuminated pages of Arabic manuscripts. Another very common characteristic of Islamic art is the decoration with calligraphic Arabic lettering. The art of calligraphy was highly valued practically at all times, and the employment of the best calligraphers was considered a status symbol in the courts of Islamic rulers. The different script styles that developed over time in the regions of the Islamic world - for example, the angular Kufic script from Iraq, or the sweeping Maghrebi script - represent characteristic regional peculiarities. Calligraphic decorations can be found in all areas of art, whether as architectural inscriptions, textile embroidery, or independent works of art. Despite the rejection of figurative representations, pictorial illustrations of humans and animals also occur in Islamic art. Historically, the absence of images is seen more in the Arabic tradition, while they found frequent use, for example, in the Persian, Turkish or Indian traditions, and through their influence also reached the more Arabic areas of the Islamic countries. Persian miniature painting in particular is a prominent source of such illustrations of people and animals, with the help of which a variety of literary works - often poems or mythological representations - were artfully enlivened.
Even though many of the works of art decorated in this way were lost in the course of the long history of their creation, countless examples of this style, even centuries old, are still in circulation. Moreover, even in more recent works, the traditional features of Islamic art continue to be used, keeping alive the typical decorative forms of this school.
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