False perception about figural representation in Islam
closrapexa said:
However, at least from my understanding, the verse forbids the display of anything that is alive, or that exists in nature. Similar, indeed, to the Islamic law on the subject. In Mosques and Arab building and palaces, you will never see the figure of an animal or person. Hence Arabian empires were renowned for their geometrical patterns and designs.
Even in Islamic culture the rule of figurative art has been interpreted with varying degrees of strictness in different places and periods. There are many beautiful medieval manuscripts from Islamic countries that include human and animal figures, though disallowed in the context of religious monuments and buildings, they have been used in secular sciences and arts, figures of the constellations for example. For example here is a folio from a manuscript on 'ingenious devices' by Al-Jazeera from the Mamluk period:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/07/wae/ho_57.51.23.htm
And a couple from exhibit on 'Glass of the Sultans' which incorporate animal, bird and insect motifs:
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Glass_of_the_Sultans/8.r.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Glass_of_the_Sultans/11.r.htm
quote:
The Nature of Islamic Ornament, Part IV: Figural Representation
This is the final exhibition in a four-part series examining the basic forms and sources of Islamic ornament. Through about 25 objects in many media, chosen primarily from the Museum's permanent collection,
the exhibition examines the widespread but false perception that figural representation is never permitted to appear in Islamic art.
End quote from:
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={267E22F4-C412-11D3-936E-00902786BF44}
quote:
Another characteristic of Islamic art is a preference for covering surfaces with patterns composed of geometric or vegetal elements. Complex geometric designs, as well as intricate patterns of vegetal ornament (such as the arabesque), create the impression of unending repetition, which is believed by some to be an inducement to contemplate the infinite nature of God. This type of nonrepresentational decoration may have been developed to such a high degree in Islamic art because of the absence of figural imagery, at least within a religious context.
Contrary to a popular misconception, however, figural imagery is an important aspect of Islamic art. Such images occur primarily in secular and especially courtly arts and appear in a wide variety of media and in most periods and places in which Islam flourished. It is important to note, nevertheless, that representational imagery is almost invariably restricted to a private context. Figurative art is excluded from the decoration of religious monuments. This absence may be attributed to an Islamic antipathy toward anything that might be mistaken for idols or idolatry, which are explicitly forbidden by the Qur’an.
End quote from:
http://www.calligraphyislamic.com/IntroIslamicArt.html
quote:
Although the often cited opposition in Islam to the depiction of human and animal forms holds true for religious art and architecture, in the secular sphere, such representations have flourished in nearly all Islamic cultures.
The Islamic resistance to the representation of living beings ultimately stems from the belief that the creation of living forms is unique to God, and it is for this reason that the role of images and image makers has been controversial. The strongest statements on the subject of figural depiction are made in the Hadith (Traditions of the Prophet), where painters are challenged to "breathe life" into their creations and threatened with punishment on the Day of Judgment. The Qur’an is less specific but condemns idolatry and uses the Arabic term musawwir ("maker of forms," or artist) as an epithet for God. Partially as a result of this religious sentiment, figures in painting were often stylized and, in some cases, the destruction of figurative artworks occurred. Iconoclasm was previously known in the Byzantine period and aniconicism was a feature of the Judaic world, thus placing the Islamic objection to figurative representations within a larger context. As ornament, however, figures were largely devoid of any larger significance and perhaps therefore posed less challenge.
As with other forms of Islamic ornamentation, artists freely adapted and stylized basic human and animal forms, giving rise to a great variety of figural-based designs. Figural motifs are found on the surface decoration of objects or architecture, as part of the woven or applied patterns of textiles, and, most rarely, in sculptural form. In some cases, decorative images are closely related to the narrative painting tradition, where text illustrations provided sources for ornamental themes and motifs. As for manuscript illustration, miniature paintings were integral parts of these works of art as visual aids to the text, therefore no restrictions were imposed. A further category of fantastic figures, from which ornamental patterns were generated, also existed. Some fantastic motifs, such as harpies (female-headed birds) and griffins (winged felines), were drawn from pre-Islamic mythological sources, whereas others were created through the visual manipulation of figural forms by artists.
End quote from:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/figs/hd_figs.htm
Kwaw
It feels like one of the most natural things in the world to do, and it doesn't bother my gods one bit.