Art is the mirror of a culture and its world view. There is no case to which this statement more directly applies than to the art of the Islamic world. Not only does its art reflect its cultural values, but even more importantly, the way in which its adherents, the Muslims, view the spiritual realm, the universe, life, and the relationship of the parts to the whole. Islamic art, to a Muslim is an expression of religion, of faith read in the assured and stately progress of writing across a page or in the calm austerity of the cloister of a mosque. To a non-Muslim it tends to evoke rich and mysterious decoration applied to objects which often have obviously practical purposes. To a tourist it may first present itself in the form of distinctive shapes, the noble swell of a dome hovering over a city skyline or the assertive silhouette of a minaret against a sunset. For the curators, collectors, specialists and students who have been gripped by the subject, Islamic art is a world of irresistible fascination in which they strive for a better understanding of the objects and of the people who made them.
The term 'Islamic art' not only describes the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim faith (for example, a mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture historically produced in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by Muslim artists. As it is not only a religion but a way of life, Islam fostered the development of a distinctive culture with its own unique artistic language that is reflected in art and architecture throughout the Muslim world. Many different influences combine to form creations with fantasy and wisdom which far precedes other artistic genres. Islamic art can be seen as an influence far beyond constricts of its religious name.
The state of Islamic art today has, with few variations, changed little from the classical art of centuries past. Islamic calligraphies of wide range of styles are being reproduced and are most highly regarded and fundamental element of Islamic art. According to Umberto Eco, the ability for symbols, whether through texts or visual images(Islamic calligraphies), to be interpreted and understood by a reader or viewer is dependant on the audiences’ pre-existing knowledge and familiarity with the cultural memory out of which the sign evolved. An individual’s competency in understanding a sign is determined by the level of access the individual has with the cultural memory or cultural encyclopedia. Inherent in this theory is that the role of the audience in the interpretation of signs is active. The sign does not interpret or decode it, but rather relies on the viewer. (Eco, 44).
Despite the intent of the creator, works of art will be interpreted subjectively. 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 as ornament had a definite aesthetic appeal but often also included an underlying talismanic component. Below are some of the works by modern Islamic artists who demonstrates Eco’s theory in practice and the use of calligraphies, as a symbol of the culture.
Shahzia Sikander and Nilima Sheikh are both of South Asian origin, but of different generations - Shahzia Sikander, in her 30s and Nilima Sheikh in her 50s. Sikander was born in Pakistan, which was carved out of India at the time India achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1947. Shahzia Sikander has embraced the tradition of miniature painting from her native Pakistan. She is pioneering a revival of the form by combining the traditional motifs and techniques with her own personal. visions, politics, and sexuality. The resulting hybrid uses as its main formal device a version of the Surrealist's collage/juxtaposition principal, while her concerns tend toward the role of women in Islamic society. The image of the woman is central to Sikander's work. Her work explores both her personal identity and broader cultural identity. She plays with cultural forms as they affect women's identity as in painting a Muslim veil over the face of a Hindu goddess. Her imaginative use of materials such as tea also refers to feminine issues. In Pakistan, making tea is an essential part of the woman's role. Painting the gallery wall with tea connects the work with strong memories of traditional family life in her native country.
Writing the Written (2000), the border of the installation below, the text becomes more-like horses, a suggestion of movement, and that aspect is Ms.Sikander’s experience of reading the Qur’an when she was a child and couldn’t understand the meaning, even though she could Arabic, it’s a visual memory where the beauty of the written word supersedes everything else, the ability of the text to take us to other level, even though there is exists a meaning for the text.
Ms. Sikander’s experience in Texas, while she was a fellow at Glassel School of Art in Houston, left an erasable mark on her and her art. Coming from Pakistan Ms. Sikander noticed a phenomenon of ‘exotification’ with the West’s perspective of Eastern cultures. In Texas, she found her exotic image of the West – cowboy boots. Through the re-appropriation of cowboy boots in her miniature paintings she raises questions about how and what we 'exotic-ize' in other cultures – both living and dead. Examples of her re-appropriation of cowboy boots can be seen in Riding the Ridden, Elusive Realities, 2000.
Much of Nilima Sheikh's work is comparable to the miniature paintings of the Mughal court. She expresses this as the derivation of her style- it's no coincidence that many of her pieces share the same originating pint in color, scale, and composition as the Mughal court works. Often using sumptuous colors to depict lithe human figures, lush landscapes and lively animals, Mughal miniature painting is primarily in the narrative style. Through the practice of this technique, historic tales, depictions of royal life, and religious fables are frequently explicated on the canvas. These meticulously detailed scenes are fashioned through precise, refined brushwork and execution similar to that of Western manuscript illumination.
Shamiana. This piece is formed from six canvas scrolls, adorned on both sides with intricate tempera paintings. Sheikh has attached the scrolls to a canvas canopy, effectively creating a freestanding tent-like structure. Shamiana, a word that designates a tent created for grand gatherings, is used here in an illusion to a royal Mughal symbol for marriage. Existing as a token for a blessed union, Shamiana itself resides as an amalgamation of various materials. A range of canvases, support poles and a canopy communally exist to fashion, an entity rife with elegant beauty.
Both the artists claim pre-modern Rajput and Mughal court (miniature) painting as their artistic lineage. At first glance, some of their works share this starting point in terms of scale, composition, and even the use of color. However, the two artists articulate differing relationships with both the pre-modern court painting traditions and contemporary art practices.
