In this the fifth and final installment in the "Arab in One Minute" series, we discuss something that is essential to any understanding of Arab art: the "geometric" aesthetic.
We'll also explore the traditional arts of Arabic calligraphy, its indecipherability, and the arabesque patterns used to majestically decorate mosques, the more of which you read the more you come to understand similarities to Japanese calligraphy and parquetry.
This is one topic that really reminds us that once upon a time Japan was connected to the Arab World by the Silk Road.
"Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World," which commences June 16, will convey the Arab world's present-day circumstances with a journalistic approach. So if you have enjoyed reading about the Arab world in these five bulletins, be sure to visit the exhibition and learn more.
Did you know that in Japan there is a high school where you can learn Arabic? Kanagawa Prefectural Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies introduced Arabic as an elective five years ago. But, generally speaking, opportunities to study Arabic in Japan are extremely limited - even at university level. On this front, it seems, the Arab world remains distant.
With so few opportunities to learn about Arabic writing, it is not surprising that it seems confusing. When I first went to the Middle East, Arabic writing was like some strange code that looked more like the trail a worm would leave than anything else. But after a while of living with those letters, I came to understand the beauty of their curved lines. Like Japan, the Arab world has a tradition of calligraphy, and nowadays there are probably only three places in the world where the profession of calligrapher exists: Japan, China and the Arab countries. There is a certain aesthetic that seeks beauty in letters, and it is something that the Japanese people would surely understand.
Bookstores in the Arab world offer a feast for the eye, with beautiful spines decorated with ornate calligraphy.
By Hishaam Siddiqi
Arabian calligraphy is a way of expressing in beautiful text the divine revelations of Allah (God) that the prophet Mohammad conveyed by word of mouth. In the Islamic world it is a deeply respected form of expression. If you go to a mosque, you will see passages from the Koran decorating the walls and ceiling in geometric patterns. Because they can be so decorative at times, in fact, even Arab people have trouble reading them. I guess we can safely say that Japanese calligraphy is the same, isn't it?
Arabic calligraphy began around the 10th century, when cursive styles of writing were developed by Ibn Muqlah, an official in the Abasid-period government. Beginning with the square characters of the "kufic" script, there next developed the rounded "thuluth" script and the simple "naskhi" script. Depending on the way they are counted, there are thought to have been about eight styles of writing in total.
Calligraphic Arabic script
By alazaat
Graffiti art featuring a bold arrangement of Arabic letters.
By Sterneck
Islam prohibits the worship of idols, and so you won't find any pictures of people inside mosques. Arabic calligraphy and also the geometric patterns called arabesques developed as a means of decorating the walls of mosques. The uniform repetition of patterns in arabesques symbolizes aspects of the Islamic worldview and spirituality, such as limitlessness, order and unity.
An arabesque in a mosque
By Sebastià Giralt
There is a traditional craft in Japan that is also deeply geometric, and that is parquetry. Of course, this is no coincidence; if you follow the roots of that Japanese craft back far enough, you arrive at the Silk Road and the Arab country of Syria.
The keyword for today was "geometric," and naturally there are works in "Arab Express" exhibition that suggest the influence of such geometric traditional arts. The exhibition includes an audio guide and explanatory texts, so if you use them you will no doubt be able to discover such influences in Arab contemporary art.
Reference: Corporate logos
Patterns using Arabic text are often used in corporate logos. If you look at the logos of the Qatar-based satellite television network Al Jazeera or Dubai's Emirates Airlines then you will be able to see those companies' aesthetics as they pertain to Arabic text.
Al Jazeera's English-language homepage:
Emirates Airlines' Japanese-language homepage:
Text: Watanabe Satoru
Journalist, photographer. Reported on the Iraq war in 2003 and has continued to report in Iraq since. Publications include Kurudo, Iraku, Kyukutsu na Hibi - Senso o Hitsuyo to Suru Hitobito (The Kurds, Iraq and Days of Feeling Locked In: The People For Whom War is a Necessity; Gendai Shokan). Also involved in editing the magazine Kikan Arabu (Arab), which is published four times per year.
季刊アラブ
What is "Arab in One Minute"?
An attempt to explore the attractions of the Arab world in five themes.
You'll surely feel much more familiar with Arab culture after reading them all.
■Relevant information
・"Arab in One Minute"
File-01 The Arab World on Screen
File-02 My first time at the cafe, the meeting place of men
File-03 Lamb or Chicken, That Is the Question / Cuisine and Hospitality
File-04 Ruins from Time Immemorial: Mesopotamia, the Birthplace of Civilization
File-05 The Beauty is in the Geometry: Calligraphy and Arabesque
・Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World
16 June - 28 October, 2012
