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What is Islamic art? Customarily, the
answers range from the astute to the ludicrous. I would like to use
this space to add my own observations to the stew and see how it
tastes. (Perhaps a bit more salty?) Although I approach the issue via
calligraphy and its associated arts, I want to keep the bigger
questions in the near background, out of sight but not out of mind.
What is Islamic art? What is Islamic
about it? Is it art, and in what sense? Such questions are
meaningless unless we define our terminology. Therefore, in the
History and Development section of this site, I give a lot of
attention to translating the key technical words and concepts of
Islamic calligraphy, especially the jargon of the artists, which can
seem a bit impenetrable. This section also includes examples of
scripts.
On the practical side, the Tools,
Materials, and Techniques section describes making and using
pens, ink, and paper and explains the arts of
Tezhip
(illumination) and Ebru (illumination).
For a deeper study of Islamic
calligraphy -- what it says and why, its aesthetic merits and
demerits, its practitioners and how they learned the art -- I invite
you to visit the Resources and Papers
section, which includes selected essays and translations, followed by a
glossary of
technical words and concepts, an annotated bibliography
for further reference, and useful links to other sites.
And finally, the gallery
provides a look at my work, includes a vita and
list of exhibitions, and gives information
about commissioning a work.
A word on intellectual property
rights: Unless otherwise noted, I am the author and owner of the
work on these pages. My translations of Arabic and Ottoman texts are
primarily from historic works that are now in the public domain. My
translations from more recent Turkish texts are used here with
permission but may not be used for commercial purposes. Please do not
copy, translate, or otherwise reproduce these pages without the
express permission of Zakariya Calligraphy.
Contacting Zakariya Calligraphy:
As a calligrapher, I prefer communicating in old-fashioned pen and
ink. Please write to me at Zakariya Calligraphy, 536 N. Littleton
St., Arlington, VA 22203; fax 703-243-7224. (Technical questions may
be e-mailed to the webmaster.)
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