Synopses & Reviews
The Qurandrsquo;an makes rich references to light, tying it to revelation, and light consequently permeates the culture and visual arts of the Islamic lands. God Is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth explores the integral role of light in Islamic civilization across a wide range of media, from the Qurandrsquo;an and literature to buildings, paintings, performances, photography, and other works produced over the past 14 centuries. A team of international experts conveys current scholarship on Islamic art in a manner that is engaging and accessible to the general reader. The objects discussed include some of the first identifiable works of Islamic artandmdash;modest oil lamps inscribed in Arabic, which developed into elaborately decorated metal and glass lamps and chandeliers. Later, photography, which creates images with light, was readily adopted in Islamic lands, and it continues to provide inspiration for contemporary artists. Generously illustrated with specially commissioned, sumptuous color photographs, this book shows the potential of light to reveal color, form, and meaning.
Synopsis
The Qur an makes rich references to light, tying it to revelation, and light consequently permeates the culture and visual arts of the Islamic lands.
God Is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth explores the integral role of light in Islamic civilization across a wide range of media, from the Qur an and literature to buildings, paintings, performances, photography, and other works produced over the past 14 centuries. A team of international experts conveys current scholarship on Islamic art in a manner that is engaging and accessible to the general reader. The objects discussed include some of the first identifiable works of Islamic art modest oil lamps inscribed in Arabic, which developed into elaborately decorated metal and glass lamps and chandeliers. Later, photography, which creates images with light, was readily adopted in Islamic lands, and it continues to provide inspiration for contemporary artists. Generously illustrated with specially commissioned, sumptuous color photographs, this book shows the potential of light to reveal color, form, and meaning.
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Synopsis
This is the first book-length study of the art and architecture of the Fatimids, the Ismaili Shi'i dynasty that ruled in North Africa and Egypt from 909 to 1171. The Fatimids are most famous for founding the city of al-Qahira (Cairo) in 969, and their artand#151;particularly textiles and luster ceramics, but also metalwork and carved rock-crystal, ivory and woodworkand#151;has been admired for nearly a millennium. In this engaging and accessible book, Jonathan M. Bloom concentrates on securely dated and localized examples of Fatimid art and architecture. His discussions focus on significant examples and are illustrated with over 100 photographs, many in color, and extensive notes and bibliography provide guidance for further reading and research.
Synopsis
This sumptuously illustrated book explores the integral role of light in Islamic art and culture, with the latest scholarship made accessible to the general reader.
About the Author
Jonathan Bloom shares both the Norma Jean Calderwood University Professorship of Islamic and Asian Art at Boston College and the Chair of Islamic Art at the Virginia Commonwealth University with his wife, Sheila Blair. He is the author of the award-winning book, Paper Before Print, as well as co-author of Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power and The Art and Architecture of Islam, published by Yale University Press.and#160;and#160;