Painting a Slice of Islamic Art in Istanbul

I grew up in Delhi which is not only the capital of present day India and the capital during the later half of British rule, was also the seat of several Islamic empires, grand and small, during the medieval times. The neighborhood where I spent my childhood and early adulthood, I was surrounded by the monuments of that era from grand and small mosques to tombs of sultans and emperors. My awareness of the splendor of these historical remains grew into deep appreciation in college where I majored in Indian History at both undergraduate and graduate level. And I never lost that love.  Next to Asian art, Islamic art is my most favorite section in any museum.

When Istanbul, Turkey was chosen as the place to view and paint for this month's challenge at the Virtual Paintout, I was excited. Istanbul offers plenty of subjects to paint and I chose to paint one of the  distinctive Islamic  architectural features, arched lattice stone window, known as jhali. The building itself is pretty drab but I liked the windows. 

Below are some  beautiful examples of Islamic art and architecture from various American museums. Enjoy. (Photography by Indira Govindan.)

Linked to Virtual Paintout and Paint Party Friday.

Thanks for visiting.






https://goo.gl/maps/cwD9ZXZEg322

Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum

Not having to do any holiday shopping, I spent Black Saturday at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts' new permanent gallery on Islamic Art.  It is named "Islamic Art" even though the curator of the gallery describes the collection as "primarily secular". It is also exclusively about the material culture of the padshahs, the sultans, and their nobles. If you are interested in knowing how the common people lived or what they consumed, you would not find it here. Despite such problematics, it is a grand visual and artistic treat and worth a visit. To whet your appetite, below is a sample of what you will find there:

Damascus Room, Syria, 17 century 

Latticed stone window, Mughal Empire, India, 16th cent

Page from one of the largest Qurans, (each line 3 ft. long), Samarqand, early 14th cent,

Album of Calligraphies, Ottoman Period 1500

Turquoise and Black Raqqa Ware, Iran, 15th cent

Enameled Glass, Syria

Tombstone, carved marble, Iran 1352

Gallery Entrance

All photos except the "Damascus Room" are by Indira Govindan


Damascus Room from the Museum website 


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