On the Graffiti Beat by Terri Cloakey

This is graffiti which I found in Newnan, painted on the side of a pawn shop. It features a tribute to Charlie Chaplin as well as several spray-painted nicknames. I do believe this particular example of graffiti, and even graffiti in general, is most definitely classified as "art". Specifically, I consider graffiti to be a form of folk art. Graffiti is created by established techniques using spray paints- affordable and readily available resources- and is an easily identifiable representation of urban culture as well as hip hop culture. Graffiti, like other folk art, often reflects the social values of local social groups- it can mark the territory of local gangs, depict political stances, or sometimes simply and anonymously showcase the artist's work.

Answers to Islamic Art Quiz

1. b
2. c
3. a
4. a
5. c
6. c
7. a
8. b
9. b
10. c

Islamic Art

Includes all Muslim art, not just explicitly religious art
Islamic art seeks to portray the meaning and essence of things, rather than just their physical form
Crafts and decorative arts are regarded as having full art status
Painting and sculpture are not thought of as the noblest forms of art
Calligraphy is a major art-form
Writing has high status in Islam
Writing is a significant decoration for objects and buildings
Books are a major art-form
Geometry and patterns are important
People do not appear in specifically religious art
Architecture
Principle types: Mosque, Tomb, Palace, Fort.
Features: Ordered repetition, radiating structures, and rhythmic, metric patterns.
Has incorporated domes since the “Dome of the Rock” in 691 ad.
Calligraphy
The art of writing, and bookmaking.
Primary means of preservation of the Qur’an.
Calligraphic inscriptions and abstractions are often used on the walls and ceilings of mosques as well as on pages.
Calligrams are images made from interweaving written words (Allah, Muhammad, Bismillah, etc)
Carpets and Pottery
Oriental Rugs: Beautiful, hand woven rugs usually either knotted with or made without pile.
Pile- the raised surface of fabric, which is made of upright loops/ strands of yarn.
Little is known about the early history of Islamic pottery, because most of the early pottery vanished during war.
Ceramics and Tin-glazed pottery.
Early Islamic Art
Little known about the early ages of Islamic art.
The Byzantine and Sasanian empowers had just been conquered by Islam, and therefore the art of these areas went through a slow transition.
Therefore, its hard to distinguish the art that was made prior to the conquering from art made after the conquering.
Late Islamic Art
Ottomans and Safavids ruled during this period.
Highly influenced by Chinese art.
Ali Asghar was a painter during this time. He painted the “Combat Between Khusraw Parviz and Bahram Chubina”. Riza-yi Abbasi was the foremost painter of the 17th century.
Contemporary Islamic Art
Famous Artists Include: Ali Omar Ernes (Calligraphy), Ali Hassan (Calligraphy), Shadi Ghadirian (Photography) Kinda Hibrawi (Paintings) Khana-e-Kaaba.

Quiz:
What major feature has been incorporated in Islamic Architecture since 691 ad.A) Windows B) Domes C) Porches
Geometry and _______ are important to Islamic Art.A) Algebra B) Line C) Patterns
The art of writing and book making is…A) Calligraphy B) Not used C) Alphabet
_____ is the raised surface of fabric, which is made of upright strands/ loops of yarn.A) Pile B) Mile C) Rug
Images made from interweaving written wordsA) Manuscripts B) Clip art C) Calligrams
The Late Islamic Art period was highly influenced by ____ artA) European B) Canadian C) Chinese
Islamic Art seeks to portray the ______ and essence of things.A) meaning B) spirit C) mind
Includes all _____ artA) Buddhist B) Muslim C) Christian
What did early Islamic art go through that makes it hard to distinguish the Islamic art of that time?A) a slump B) a transition C) a tunnel
Who was the foremost painter of the 17th century?A) Ali Ababwa B) Muhamad Hassan C) Riza-yi Abbasi