Art and Art History

“Islamic Art” is a tricky label. While it does refer to art created and used in Muslim rituals and practices, it also encompasses a wide range of art that has no religious significance, but is made by and for people who once lived, or who now live, in Muslim-majority societies. This survey of Islamic Arts is an excellent introduction and overview of the subject, covering twelve centuries and a wide range of artistic and architectural genres and styles. Filled with beautiful color images and very readable text, this book could even serve as a fine introduction to the broad sweep of Islamic culture and history.

Takes the viewer over nine countries and across 1,400 years of cultural history to show the riches of Muslim arts, crafts, and architecture. Explores the richness of Islamic art in objects big and small, from great ornamented palaces and the play of light in monumental mosques to the exquisite beauty of ceramics, carved boxes, paintings and metal work. It revels in the use of color and finds commonalities in a shared artistic heritage with the West and East. Also examines the unique ways in which Islamic art turns calligraphy and the written word into masterpieces and develops water into an expressive, useful art form. NOTE: STLCC FP: Received as part of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 2013.