By the pen and what they write
Subtitle: writing in Islamic art and culture
By: edited by Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom
Contributors: Blair, Sheila, editor; Bloom, Jonathan (Jonathan M.), editor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 305
ISBN-13: 9780300228243
Subjects: Islamic calligraphy; Congresses; Islamic calligraphy in art
Description: Considered by Muslims as the only true art, calligraphy has played a prominent role in Islamic culture since the time of the prophet Muhammad. Exploring this central role of the written word in Islam and how writing practices have evolved and adapted in different historical contexts, this book provides an overview of the enormous impact that writing in Arabic script has had on the visual arts of the Islamic world. Approaching the topic from a number of different perspectives, the essays in this volume include discussions on the relationship between orality and the written word; the materiality of the written word, ranging from the type of paper on which books were written to monumental inscriptions in stone and brick; and the development of Arabic typography and the printed book. Generously illustrated, By Pen and What They Write is an engaging look at how writing has remained a foundational component of Islamic art throughout fourteen centuries.
Notes: Proceedings of the Sixth Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art, Nov. 7-9, 2015, Doha.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-293) and index.