Are you looking for Islamic art wall hangings online? Have you been thinking of displaying in your home or office Islamic wall art frames?
Perhaps, it would do well to understand the basics of Islamic calligraphy art, which came into being after the establishment of Islam as the primary religion in Arabia.
As Islam forbids human and animal imagery, artists began expressing their artistic talent by beautifully writing passages from the Holy Quran.
Calligraphy, which literally means beautiful handwriting, thus became the primary expression of art in Muslim-ruled territories, be it the Ottoman sultanate in Middle East, the Safavid empire in Iran or the Mughal dynasty in India. From the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, the world-renowned Muslim buildings all have on their interiors or exterirors Quranic verses written in artistic styles.
That the Arabic script rendered itself beautifully to calligraphy came as a boon to artists. The script’s loops, curves, dots and diacritical marks can be deftly maneuvered to create a masterpiece. Specially noteworthy is the fact that letters can be broken to less than half their size so that they can be made to join seamlessly with other letters.
As Muslims administered different parts of the globe – from Spain in the west to large parts of India in the east, they employed skilled artists and artisans to adorn their monuments and buildings with Arabic calligraphy art. The artists would also paint/carve/stich/etch the text on ceramics, wooden artefacts and carpets. Calligraphers would also ink court papers.
Each region developed its own special font of Arabic calligraphy – like the straight and angular Kufic style in Kufa, Iraq; the Diwani style of decorative and intricate writing in Istanbul, Turkey; the figurative Tughra form of writing in northern India.
As Islamic empires were conquered by European imperialists, Arabic calligraphy took a backseat, but made a comeback with new nations gaining independence.
In recent times, there has been a sudden increase in interest in Arabic calligraphy, in part due to the online revolution, specially e-commerce. From historical buildings, Islamic calligraphy now finds itself in modern flats. There are now plenty of websites now from where you can buy Islamic wall art frames or Islamic art wall hangings online – in varied forms such as low-price wall decals, or affordable digital prints on canvas or paper. These, you can display in your home or office as a spiritual reminder or a visual/artistic expression of your faith. You can also give them gifts to loved ones or friends or relatives on special occasions such as festivals and weddings. Young artists and curators now sell their artworks on the Internet, including on social media platforms like Instagram, and sometimes customise according to a buyer’s wishes.
Most certainly, Islamic calligraphy is witnessing many changes in terms of the art itself, the scale, the availability and the profile of its buyers.
