The Arabic Calligraphy: An Identifying Parameter in Space, Time and Contents

The art of Arabic calligraphy is considered highly in the Islamic world. However, although writing was an important means of preserving and spreading the Koran, it has also found widespread use in not strictly religious areas, such as in the decoration of everyday objects. Throughout the history of Islam, the work of calligraphers has been researched and appreciated. Calligraphy and abstract representations have become the main means of artistic expression, linked to a belief that figurative art was a form of idolatry. Contemporary artists from the Islamic world, and not only, still use the legacy of calligraphic art to insert inscriptions or abstract figures in their works as if it were an identifying mark, a recognizable art form, a language that defines a belonging. Starting from the research and analysis developed during the master degree thesis (Mansour, degree thesis 2014), aimed at investigating the connections between the most widespread forms of artistic expression in the Islamic world (geometry, calligraphy and arabesque), we wanted to focus attention on one of these three art forms, probably the most important for Arabs, to highlight its importance linked to the past, its developments in space and time and its future potential.