Subject Guides: Muslim Journeys Bookshelf: Islamic Art, Architecture, and Film

Art

Islamic Arts by Jonathan Bloom; Sheila S. Blair
ISBN: 071483176X
Publication Date: 1997-04-24
A comprehensive survey that brilliantly captures the essence of Islamic culture. Islamic Arts, a comprehensive survey covering a thousand years, highlights those characteristics that connect the various arts of the Islamic lands without minimizing the differences. The book is divided into three time periods - 600-900, 900-1500 and 1500-1800 - and each section analyses architecture, the arts of the book, decorative and applied arts.
The Art of Hajj by Venetia Porter
Call Number: Circulating Book - 2nd Floor ; 709.1767 P833a
ISBN: 1566568846
Publication Date: 2012-03-01
This striking little book not only takes the reader on a journey, but celebrates the skill and creativity of artists, craftspeople, and the pilgrims themselves who have responded to the call of Hajj over the centuries. Features illuminated manuscripts, wall paintings and photographs, calligraphy, textiles, scientific instruments, decorative tiles, maps, ceramics, metalwork, and powerful works by contemporary artists.

Art Spots Visual Essays

Calligraphy
This brief video describes the arts of Islamic calligraphy, the artistic practice of handwriting based on the Arabic script.

The Islamic Art Spots are seven visual essays, presented in a series of short films designed to make art from Muslim societies an integral part of the Muslim Journeys experience.

The Art Spots were written and presented by D. Fairchild Ruggles, Professor of Art, Architecture, and Landscape History, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and produced by Twin Cities Public Television. (from http://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/collections/show/6)

Geometry
This brief video expores the effect of geometric lines and curves on ornamental design in Islamic art, and illlustrates how they also characterize the timeless, breathtaking architecture of the Muslim world.
Islamic Gardens
This brief video describes the forms, functions, features, and significance of the garden in Islamic societies, and the motif of gardens in various artistic genres.
Islamic Textiles
This brief video describes the arts of weaving, knotting, and dyeing fabrics, including patterned carpets, woven calligraphy and their uses in Muslim cultures at all levels of society.
Mosques and Religious Architecture
This brief video describes the structure, architecture and decoration of mosques and other religious buildings and discusses their variations in Muslim societies across geography and time.
The Arts of the Book and Miniature Painting
This brief video describes the Islamic arts of the book and book illustration in the form of miniature painting.
The Arts of Trade and Travel
The obligation to make the pilgrimage (known as the hajj) to Mecca, combined with the tradition of global trade in Muslim societies, makes international travel important in the lives of many Muslims. This brief video highlights the arts associated with these traditions of trade and travel.