Northern, Central and Middle Eastern Art, Culture and Religion

Art is a wonderful window into looking at the culture of people. It is often a reflection of the

people and their society.

Arabic. Islamic.Middle

Eastern.

The term ‘Arabic’ referspeople inhabiting Arabia,

whose language and religionspread widely throughout the

Middle East and Northern Africa from the 7th C.

The Arabs became the rulers ofmany different peoples, and gradually a great Arab civilization was built up. The

emergence of the Turks in the 11th and 13th centuries ended the Arab majority rule in the

Middle Eastern region. The Arabic influence can often still be seen in

Central, Southern & Middle Eastern Art.

Decorated Arabic writing or calligraphy is considered one of the highest forms of art because it is used to write scripture, which helped establish the strong oral tradition of the Arabic language.

Calligraphy was considered to be the most beautiful and reverent way to write the words of their Holy Books.

The use of calligraphy is found in all arts including books and manuscripts, in mosques and palaces as well as on everyday items: pottery, stone, glass, wood or textiles

In certain areas of the Middle East, religious tradition did not allow for

any paintings or sculptures depicting people to decorate their buildings.

Without the use of animal or human form in their art, mid eastern art adapted to the use of complex

geometric patterns and intricate floral or plant designs.

Geometric patterns to represent their belief in logic and order.

Sophisticated designs could be made with the simplest of tools , a ruler and

a pencil.

Scholars embraced Greek philosophy and mathematics. The works of Euclid and Pythagoras

were amongst the first to be translated into Arabic.

The study of geometry also fed into their interest with the stars and astronomy, and the notion of

creating infinite, decorative patterns.

It is believed that the circle and its center are the point at which allpatterns begin and is a symbol of eternity, without being and without end.

From the circle come three fundamental figures in Middle Eastern art: the triangle, square and hexagon.

The triangle by tradition is symbolic of human consciousnessand the principle of harmony.

The square represents the symbol of physical experienceand the physical world.

The hexagon represents Heaven.

The star is the most commonshape symbolizingequality.

The rays of the star reach out in all directions, a fitting symbol for thespread of the land.

The center of the star represents a belief in one’s creator and where that creator dwells (in their universe and their hearts).

*Plays an important role in Middle Eastern Art

*May be a single line of reflective symmetry, usually from top to bottom

*May be 3-4 lines of symmetry

*Straight (translation) and turning (rotational) movements are also used

*Symmetry and repetition give unity to the more complex designs

In order to achieve symmetry, the artist will repeat the same exact elements on

both halves of a piece of art in reversed

order, so that both halves mirrorone another.

*Using repeated geometric forms that reflect the forms of plants and animals

*Often found decorating walls of buildings and churches

*Vegetable and floral arabesque are a succession of vines, stems, leaves andblossoms that grow one out of the next in continuous curving patterns

*Infinity was significant to the creators of this art form as they were deeply religious

*The Arabesque is both science and art

*The art is mathematically precise, aesthetically pleasing and symbolic

*To the people of the Middle East, all forms of art, the natural world,

mathematics and science are all creations or reflections of their religion.

*Two favorite designs utilizing the floral or plant motifs are the arabesque and palmette

*Arabesques can be graceful, intertwining designs developed from geometric shares (again, mimicking nature), creating an overall

complex design

*The palmettes are floral or plant forms that face upward and outward

*The lotus and the peony are often found in the palmette patterns

*These flowers would indicate inspiration from the flowers often pictured in art of the Far East or India

*The Turks incorporated the tulip, a flower

indigenous to their region

*We should now understand the art of Central, Southern and Middle East and

how it connects to their religion and culture.

*Imagine now looking at a spider web or a bee’s hive and thinking of the beauty of nature, those rhythmic patterns andgeometric designs we see everyday.

Consider – when we refer to the Central, South and Middle East – it covers a vast number of

cultures, countries and their religions. Here are some countries - Mongolia, the Balkan states,

Istanbul, Persia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Istanbul and Algeria, among others. Here are

some of their religions – Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Coptic Christian, Zoroastrianism and

Judaism, etc…