Like other respondents, I have taken classes on Islamic history and was very family with Muhammad’s life, the vision, his struggles and his accomplishments. In so much as I’m not a practicing Islamist, I think I have a pretty good grasp of the teachings of Islam, it’s pacifist nature (from its original founding), its belief in one true god, and how a few extremists, not unlike our extreme Christians here in the US have taken the teachings of Allah and distorted and manipulated them for their own purposes. I don’t believe the Islamic people are a violent people, I believe there are few bad apples in their bunch, just like us. I enjoy the abstractness of Islamic art and how it borrows from ancient Rome and the Byzantine. It’s thrilling to see the use of mosaics, vaults, squinches, etc throughout their monumental architecture. They didn’t need to recreate the wheel, they just took what existed and perfected it.
I found it impressive that Islamic art was centered around various motifs and was void of human form. How did the film and book describe it? So that there weren’t any distractions from the 5 a day worships. How very unlike the Christians who believed that the use of human imagery, often with animals, emphasized the seriousness of religion and provided the worshippers with something to focus upon in order to gain the most from their worship. Here, Islam, cut to the chase and said, “we don’t need icons, human images, ‘the hand of God’ because God is everywhere and no where at the same time,” and I believe Islam feels that no one truly knows what God looks like, cause he’s in all of us. Personally, I like Islam’s simplicity, you pray to God, not to Mother Mary or Jesus to get to God, but you get straight to the man himself. It’s refreshing.
As for intolerance and changing my mind about Islam. I’ve never had an contrary opinion of Islam because I understand that not all Muslims are bad and that only a few are perpetuating the violence and Jihads that exist. Intolerance? Never surprises me and is usually the modus operandi of the un or undereducated; those with misinformed opinions usually base not upon fact but upon fear. Those are the people I fear sorry for, not the Muslims. But the Archie Bunkers of the world.
Even though my major is Architectural Art History, I’ve decided to step outside of the box and write about the Islamic Glassware. Our text only shared one piece with us, the Mosque lamp of Sayf al-Din Tuquztimur, from Egypt dating from 1340. At one foot high, this impressive lamp of glass and enamel must absolutely glow when lit and suspended from the Mosque ceiling. I love how the artesian weaved the calligraphy of the Qur’an into the upper frieze and then used abstract enamel detail on the lamp’s body. Even the foot is decorated and very much the Greeks this artist used a meander at the top to help define the overall design. The use of red, white, and blue enamel gives the lamp a boldness. It’s mind boggling how the artesian achieved such amazing symmetry too.
I found some other gorgeous links to other Islamic glassware…enjoy!
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/slpg/ho_1974.74.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/enag/ho_17.190.991.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mosa/ho_2001.266.htm
http://glassmuseum.cca.gov.tw/web-EN/unit02/modepage/2-5.html
An article:
Islamic Glass Treasure: The Art of Glassmaking in the Islamic World
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/234630/islamic_glass_treasure_the_art_of_glassmaking.html
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