A Monthly Newsletter dedicated to costume for Middle Eastern Dance, Danse Orientale, Raks Sharki, and Belly Dance.

June 2001 - Reading List - Islamic Arts

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Reading List - Islamic Art Many dance costumers turn to art books for sources of visual and cultural inspiration. There are currently several inexpensive general reference books on Islamic Arts currently in print. Making a small investment in one of these reference books will provide you with ideas from many of the Islamic arts. Tile work can provide inspirations for appliques. Historic textiles can offer up color combinations, suggested patterns and textures, especially for historical, folkloric or tribal dancer. The chapters on miniature painting and calligraphy can be a wealth of information, not only with images of dancers, but with lots of vibrant textures and color schemes. Reading about a culture's artistic output is an easily accessible way of studying a more general past. Reading political or religious history books can become tedious and repetitive. Art history books provide a broader spectrum of cultural background than a rote history book can. But unless someone is building a comprehensive library of Middle Eastern history, where does one start? Here are two titles that offer slightly different perspectives and points of view, but are excellent (and inexpensive - each is under $25) general surveys of Middle Eastern Art. Islamic Art in Context by Robert Irwin Filled with illustrations that support the text, this book takes the approach of studying cultural through an examination of cultural products. The book is organized by major cultural themes that develop roughly chronologically. Throughout this book, the author does his best to put complex concepts into clear and easy to understand language. He provides a firm grounding in ancient history of the Near and Middle East and then delves into the development of Islam and the impact it had on the arts and philosophies of the regions. Chapter Four, Art and Artistic Taste, he goes into discussions of patronage and artistic production of the early development of Islamic art. Later, in chapter Six, he explores the guild systems, labor forces and major materials that the Muslim artist used to create his works. What I like most about this book is the way that the world of the Islamic artist and the resulting output is explored. For dancers interested in the SCA, Renaissance Festivals or have a general interest in history, this book is a wonderful tool for understanding the cultural forces, practices and the beliefs that shaped them. There are numerous illustrations throughout the text, but some can be a little small, as this book is just fairly small. Included in this book are timelines, a glossary and extensive bibliography. Islamic Arts by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair This book takes a more conventional art historical approach to the subject of Islamic arts. Using the traditional chronological organization, this book breaks down Islamic art into three major periods, the early rise of the religion from 600 - 900, the era of Regional Powers 900 - 1500 and the development of the Great Empires 1500 - 1800. Within each of these sections, the authors have further subdivided the text into units based on technique and media. Each section has a chapter on architecture, calligraphy, weaving, and the decorative arts. This is a small compact book with exceedingly lush illustrations. There are exquisite close ups of works, especially in the decorative arts chapters, that don't appear in any other moderately priced books. The text however, is written in a very academic voice that can be somewhat challenging to read at times. This is part of the Art and Ideas series by Phaidon Publishers which includes many other interesting titles. The beauty of this series is that is was published in 1997 and includes some of the most up-to-date research and approaches to exploring and examining Islamic art.