The Beautiful Names Art Project
Traditionally,
many Muslims have placed certain restraints on the forms through which visual arts are
given expression. More specifically, with certain exceptions, much of the Muslim world has
restricted visual artistic expression, across the ages, to roughly four forms: (1)
architecture - which includes both the aspects of design, as well as that of construction;
(2) calligraphy in its various modalities ranging from the rectilinear kufic style to the
very fluid Neskhi style; (3) geometric patterns - one well-known example being that of the
arabesque, and, finally, (4) crafts which encompass the creation and production of such
things as tapestries, rugs, jewelry, clothes, and many items used in the course of a day -
from pottery to furniture.
Almost
invariably, all of the foregoing forms refrain from the use of human images. Among other
things, this restriction is frequently traced to a well-known hadith, or saying, of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that warns believers against trying to assume the
role of the Creator through acts of generating images of the human form.
This
Prophetic cautioning is also often linked, by many Muslims, to a Quranic principle which
indicates that human beings have been created in the image of Divinity. As a result, those
Muslim artists who might be inclined to venture in the direction of generating human forms
are being warned that the territory through which they seek to travel is sacred in a
variety of senses and might be best avoided altogether.
Nevertheless,
there have been a few historical periods of artistic expression in some parts of the
Muslim world which have departed from the aforementioned general rule. One such exception
involves the use of human figures in what have come to be known as "Persian
miniatures".
A
compromise, of sorts, explored by some Muslim artists is the use of certain elements from
nature. However, such elements rarely are the central focus of a work of visual art and,
instead, tend to be play a secondary, decorative or ornamental role which is incorporated
into more fundamental motifs involving architecture, calligraphy, geometric patterns
and/or craft work.
Having said
the foregoing, a natural question to ask is the following. What is the purpose of art in
an Islamic context?
In general,
one of the primary intentions underlying such art has always been to use beauty as a means
of inviting believers to contemplate Divine Attributes through aesthetically pleasing
arrangements of space, form, medium, color, style, perspective, and vision. Properly
implemented, Islamic art gives expression to a perennial wisdom that is manifested through
a beauty which integrates form, medium, color, and perspective in a manner that points
forcefully and persuasively in the direction of important universal principles.
Harmony,
balance, equilibrium, peace, purity, transcendence, imminence, unity, integrity, nobility,
absence, presence, stability, transformation, and precision are some of these universal
principles. These are principles of sacredness which are given expression through an
artistic beauty which are intended to help lead believers toward reflecting on
qualitatively expansive, universal truths rather than quantitatively constricted,
individual truths.
The beauty
of an instance of art - whether architecture, calligraphy, geometric pattern, or craft
work - resides in its capacity to praise God through reflecting one or more universal
principles whose origins lie within the Divine Names. The beauty of a given exemplar of
art lies in its ability to induce believers to reflect upon these principles and be drawn
back to their Origin which gives nourishment to these principles, and, therefore, serves
as the Foundation upon which sacred art derivatively rests.
The original
prototype of Islamic art is Arabic calligraphy. This art form is rooted in the Divine Word
which was given expression through the Qur'an, the Divine Book of Revelation,
transmitted to the heart of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) via the agency of
Archangel Gabriel, just as Divine Books of Revelation had been transmitted to the hearts
of, among others, Jesus, Moses, David, Abraham, Joseph, Noah, and Adam (peace be upon them
all) at previous junctures of sacred history.
Interestingly
enough, however, the Qur'an is, first and foremost, an oral/aural tradition, not a written
one. Furthermore, this revelation - as is true of all sacred revelations - is said to be
the uncreated Word of God.
Consequently,
calligraphy constitutes a study of, or exploration into, some of the universal principles
that are inherent in the uncreated Word of God. The forms of the letters, their
proportions, continuity, rhythm, precision, and style all combine to create a beauty which
points in the direction of the Divine Source of their inspiration as well as in the
direction of their Object of praise, adoration and worship.
In addition,
there is not only a beauty of form entailed by sacred calligraphy, the letters and words
also convey Divine meanings. In other words, the letters and words have an additional, and
much more primary, sacred, aesthetic dimension because they serve as so many loci of
manifestation for Divine communication to, and with, human beings.
Some
commentators have pointed out that the woof and warp of the Holy Qur'an are the Divine
Names of God which are said, traditionally, to be ninety-nine in number. Of course,
ultimately, Divinity is infinite in Nature, and, therefore, cannot be circumscribed by
just ninety-nine Names, nonetheless, these are the Names which God has chosen to use to
help human beings reflect upon the qualities of Divinity which are woven into the fabric
of the Qur'an and given manifested form in the parables, stories, history, teachings,
values, principles, and guidance of this Holy revelation.
One of the
traditional ways of reflecting these Names in artistic form is to use calligraphy.
Throughout the Muslim world one will find various modalities of calligraphic
representation of these Names, both individually, as well as, collectively.
The Names
Project which is being proposed seeks to approach the artistic expression of the
ninety-nine Names of God from a somewhat different perspective than that which
traditionally has been used to convey something of the beauty of those Names. More
specifically, rather than using just calligraphy, the Names Project would like to use a
variety of colors, dynamic relationships, impressionistic forms, and so on, to try to open
up additional possibilities for reflection that could be used in conjunction with
traditional Arabic calligraphy and, yet, which are both intimately tied to the sacred
meaning being transmitted through the Arabic letters that make up the written form of a
given Name of God, and which, simultaneously, do not violate any of the aforementioned
restrictions which have been true of most traditional forms of sacred art within the
Muslim community.
The series
of exploratory studies being proposed by the Names Project is intended to be complimentary
to, as well as supplemental to, traditional calligraphic representations of the Names. The
use of colors, forms, patterns, designs, and relationships to be pursued in the Names
Project is intended to serve as but one, very limited way of giving visual expression to
some of the meaning inherent in a particular Name of Divinity and which, if successful,
could help enhance the beauty of the traditional calligraphic representation of such a
Name.
Furthermore,
use of the term "beauty" in the previous paragraph is intended in the sense
which was outlined earlier. In other words, whatever artistic additions are introduced in
conjunction with a traditional calligraphic representation of a given Divine Name, such
new elements must help serve as loci for the manifestation of sacred, universal principles
which, in turn, reflect some dimension of the Divine Wisdom being transmitted through a
given Name - just as is the case with a purely calligraphic expression of this Wisdom.
If
successful, the supplementary and complementary artistic modalities being suggested by the
Names Project, are intended - in harmonious conjunction with their calligraphic
counterparts - to become a visual zikr or mode of remembrance of Divine Qualities and
Attributes. If successful, this approach to one dimension of sacred art, will use beauty
to resonate with the soul and spirit of a believer, and help induce the individual to
remember, reflect on, and, return to the Original Source of the underlying universal
principles which link art form and the human being.
Sacred art
is not a creation. It is a mirror which reflects The Names of Divinity in manifested form
according to the capacity of the mirror.
Beauty can
arise nowhere except through Divinity. In conveying something of the quality of Beauty,
art merely places this quality in its proper Divine context, and invites the believer to
understand that every artful mirror sings the praise of God in its own manner by
reflecting Divine Names in accordance with its nature.
The Names
Art Project is an open invitation in the following sense. We hope all those artists whose
hearts and spirits are sincerely attracted to the idea of seeking to create visual zikrs
as ways of assisting others, and themselves, in the remembrance of God, will begin to work
individually, and with one another, to explore the unlimited possibilities which are
inherent in this dimension of Islamic/mystical art.
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