Etches 'n' Sketches

03/10/2018

day 3: Roasted

Roasted walnuts and almonds are the best

02/10/2018

day 2: Tranquil

A street violinist playing in front of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh

01/10/2018

It's the start of October which means the start of !
Every day, an ink drawing is made based on the official prompts published by the creator of Inktober. Today's prompt was 'Poisonous', so I sketched Hellebore, one of the most well known poisonous flowers in history.

30/09/2018

Latest post! Japanese ceramics are beautiful

Since the Edo period (18th century), a small mountain village in south Japan has echoed with a steady thump-thump-thump as regular as a heartbeat. All along the river flowing through the center of the...

27/10/2017

A light of supernatural intensity illuminates a grisly scene in this captivating œuvre. A hazy cloud of birds billows in the air, lending an eerie atmosphere to the setting; as peasants beat at it in...

01/10/2017

Talisman: a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm 1. Throughout history, talismans have been used as...

24/09/2017

Changing it up a bit this time

In 15th century Japan, the 8th Sh**un of the Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite tea bowl. Distressed, he sent the bowl to China to be repaired by expert craftsmen; and on its...

17/09/2017

New post!

In the Iraqi city of Samarra, there stands an imposing edifice that can at first be mistaken as a fort; a vast courtyard enclosed by 4 walls about 8 ft thick, with a massive structure that resembles a...

10/09/2017

New post!

As the primary source of guidance for Muslims, the Qur'an is ever present in their art, with either entire copies of the text being produced, or short verses integrated into larger pieces featuring...

05/09/2017

If you have ever been to the Louvre Museum in Paris, you might have come across a curiosity in the Department of Islamic Arts. A large brass basin decorated all over with complex, intervowen imagery,...

26/08/2017

During the Islamic Golden Age, a number of prominent ceramics centers were inherited and founded by artisans all over the empire. Centers as far flung as Iran and Tunisia produced ceramics, putting their own mark on the market, and history. What tied all of these modes was the multitude of patterns and colors gracing each piece, as well as the frequent incorporation of calligraphy within these patterns. These are, after all, a characteristic feature of Islamic art.

Browsing through Islamic pottery, a particular style immediately stands out from the crowd. Large circular dishes devoid of any color or pattern, featuring only abstract writing on the rims catch your eye and hold you entranced. What is this style? It's the black and white ware hallmarked by Nishapur, a center in Khorasan, north eastern Iran.

Developed in the 10th century, Nishapur black and white ware is unique in Islamic ceramics for more than one reason. While the simplicity of the shapes and elegance of the calligraphic script are certainly captivating, what makes these pieces even more fascinating are the inscriptions themselves. Throughout ancient history, Islamic art has featured verses from the Qur'an, from entire chapters to succinct verses reproduced by skilled artisans in a wide variety of techniques. Nishapur black on white ware on the other hand, constitutes the earliest extant Islamic artifacts which feature popular proverbs and adages inscribed on them. Each piece has a different content making them not only gorgeous works of remarkable skill, but also aphoristic in nature.

Shown is an exceptional example of Nishapur black on white ware. The plain form of the bowl provides the perfect backdrop for the delicately traced epigraphy that winds its way around the rim. Observe the clean shapes of the writing; the angular forms combined with the soaring, slender stems which intersperse the writing at rhythmic intervals.
‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍
التدبیر قبل العمل یؤمنك من الندم الیمن والسلامه
Planning before work protects you from
regret; good luck and well-being
‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍
When reading the inscription, one wonders whether the calligrapher is reminding himself of the virtues of planning. Such a masterful piece would have required hours if not days or weeks of careful thought: laying out the writing to merge it seamlessly with the bowl; arraying the words evenly around the rim; ensuring the shafts radiate towards the center. Imagine the patience and skill of the artisan who painted these words! It is hard enough writing in such a script on a flat page, let alone painting on the curved, concave inner surface of a bowl.

19/08/2017

Baroque architecture has chiefly been used to reflect the triumph, wealth and status of the Catholic Church in Europe. Most of the structures and monuments built in the Baroque style have been cathedrals or basilicas, with only a minority being secular buildings, such as castles. Religious symbolism abounds in Baroque art and architecture, with elements borrowed from both Christian and classical Greek and Roman mythologies.

It is no surprise therefore, that Baroque architecture is unheard of in Islamic lands. There is, however, always an exception, and in this case it is Turkey, where a myriad of Eastern and Western visual styles meet, creating a fascinating interplay of Islamic geometric patterns and Western stylistic curves and free-flowing ornamentation. This unique composition - dubbed Ottoman-Baroque - came into being during the mid 18th century and was used in several mosques such as the Laleli Mosque and the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, both commissioned and constructed in mid 18th century.

This photograph shows the Ortaköy Mosque situated on the Bosphorus, another fine example of Ottoman-Baroque architecture. Observe the dome, columns and windows, built in the classic Baroque and Renaissance styles, with the characteristic semicircular arcs and intricate relief work. Contrast these with the geometric patterns on the ground floor, especially the delicate, lace-like window grills. One would expect such disparate visual elements to clash, but instead they come together in a beautiful harmony, each enhancing the other in a wonderful dance between the East and the West.