Since the 19th century, Islamic art has become different from past centuries, but this does not exclude primordial oriental traditions. The influence of European art in the East grows in the 19th century and reaches its climax by the 20th century (Frank). So, in the works of the Turkish artist Sabri Berkel, with her geometric shapes, notes of cubism are caught. However, even here, the craving of oriental artists for two-dimensional art remains, and a unique attitude to color is read, inherited from the Ottoman miniaturists because Sabri Berkel is a native of Turkey.
Ibrahim El-Salahi, a modernist visionary, diplomat, official and political refugee, has combined Islamic, African, Arab, and Western traditions in his painting. In his style, medieval traditions are enriched with elements of modernist painting – Pissarro, Cezanne, Braque, and Islamic and African artistic techniques are added to them. Difficult times of persecution drove color out of his works, dividing the world into black and white, but the last canvases are again filled with light and movement.
At the end of the 20th century, many oriental artists turned to the motives of their culture and began to create calligraphic abstractions (Frank). Calligraphy as art from the 8th century began to occupy a special place in Muslim countries. Furthermore, the calligraphic spelling of words goes hand in hand with the Quran and has an exceptional value (Frank). The art of Calligraphy in Eastern countries can be compared to icon painting. And all because the word and its spelling is the visible embodiment of Allah, and therefore the graphic outline of the word in Islam is as valuable in itself as the sacred images of Christian icons. Therefore, many contemporary artists, inspired by the art of calligraphy, create their incredible works with an eye to the traditions of the East. As a rule, such works have a religious connotation.
One such artist is Ahmed Mustafa; in his work, he combines natural motives that, intertwining with decorative type, fill the entire space of the paintings and fill them with the intensity of emotions. Often, phrases from the Koran are encrypted in his works, and the floral ornament can be regarded as a mention of the Gardens of Eden described in the Koran. His work is a new look at Calligraphy but adapted for contemporary art, which is based on the Islamic world’s artistic forms.
Another artist whose leitmotif is calligraphic abstraction is Wijdan Ali. The artist approaches calligraphy as a fashionable abstract design in her works, but still not devoid of meaning. The viewer can perceive the letter in different ways; in the picture, one can see a fragment of the Arabic letter “T” ت, which at the same time looks like some kind of abstraction in achromatic color with “bloody” shades which could be interpreted in accordance with modern problems of Muslim people. It turns out that Islamic artists’ particular attitude to calligraphy is intertwined with a modern view of art.
Despite all modern trends, globalization, and the strong influence of the Western world with its traditions and tastes, the art of Islamic countries remains true to its origins. The art of the East largely retains its religious orientation, but it does so in unison with the times. And if we are talking about figurative images, then this is a direct reference to the art of oriental miniatures.
Work Cited
Frank, Patrick. Prebles’ Artforms, 12th edition. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2019.