The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in the United States, it is a 2.2 million square foot museum with over 2 million collections of works. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as the Met, was originally not that huge, as the content of works continued to increase, the museum has had various additions to the building. The Met was founded in 1870 by a group of businessmen, artists and financiers. The museum's purpose was to educate Americans about art. The Metropolitan Museum has a collection on the firearms of London, the people of the Kharga Oasis, fashion from around the world, Indian paintings, Islamic calligraphy writings and images, and many other collections. The focus of this essay is the beautiful collection on writing and image in Islamic calligraphy. Calligraphy is an art of writing, it is the composition of characters with a broad-tipped brush or other writing instruments. The writing and images in the Islamic calligraphy collection fascinate many people. The word calligraphy comes from the “Greek word kallos, meaning beauty” which actually holds and the Met Museum portrays that beauty. Calligraphy was and is one of the main achievements of Islamic civilization, it is a fundamental element of Islamic art. The Quran, which is the central religious text of Islam and which Muslims believe is a revelation from God. It is written in Arabic calligraphy which has an aesthetic appeal, seen as art. When writing in calligraphy, an entire word looks like multiple brush strokes or a single letter looks like a graceful knot. In Islamic art, plant motifs are seen as decorative elements of art. Calligraphy embellishes objects, architecture and everyday objects, in a way that makes them look so elegant and decorative, in the Islamic world. Islam has such creativity and decorative ability in written style that no other religion or culture has ever had. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Islamic Calligraphy Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum has been open since April 8, 2019, and features approximately four dozen beautiful calligraphy-based attractions. The combination of writing and image in Islamic calligraphy is visible in the Met's objects. The Metropolitan Museum includes works of art from the 9th century to the present, ceramic art with calligraphy, metalwork, Quran art, and calligraphy written on paper. There is a selection of modern works by artists from Türkiye, Pakistan and Iran, countries where the written word is the main mode of artistic expression. Islamic calligraphy became a thing in the 7th century when it was used to write Islam's holy book, the Quran. The earliest calligraphy was known as Kufic, named after a city in southern Iraq. Subsequently, calligraphy became an important way of creative and decorative art. The Islamic collection has had an impact on the museum itself. The collections highlight the diversity and connectedness of all the other cultures represented. The art allows visitors to understand different perspectives and the chance to explore the rich artistic capabilities of Islamic cultures. The Metropolitan Museum becomes bigger and better known as the more knowledge it offers to people. The Islamic calligraphy collection has had an impact on museum visitors. It gives visitors an insight into the idea that calligraphy is also an art form. Islamic calligraphy fascinates many visitors with its sophistication, diverse styles, uniqueness and, of course, its beauty. Islamic calligraphy has a huge impact on the improvement of art throughout theworld, has influenced different cultures on how diverse art can be. New artistic styles were introduced to the world, and Islamic art became a kind of cultural exchange. In some schools calligraphy has actually become a priority because the style is considered very important and appreciated by many. I am personally very interested in this exhibition, not because I practice Islam, but because I find calligraphy to be such a skilled talent, knowing that Muslims use it as their art form, it amazes me. I didn't know that I read art almost every other day of my life, because I read Arabic calligraphy in the Quran. I remember when I first entered the Metropolitan Museum, to me it was just a huge building with thousands of people walking in and out of it. Since I was already across the street in Central Park and had a whole day free, I decided to go into the museum to explore it. I went in, looked at all the collections and then saw the Islamic art collection on my left. I went to take a look, the first piece of art, a pink sheet torn from a Quran, was something I knew I had seen before. I read everything written in it fluently and found it so fascinating because you rarely see a Quran in different colors and so old. It was art, art in its own way, Islamic calligraphy art that I didn't know really existed. I decided to explore the entire Islamic collection and everything I saw was literally one of a kind, something I would be unlikely to find anywhere else. I was amazed by everything that I decided to take my sisters to check it out with me. The Metropolitan Museum has many works of art that impress me, but one that really stands out is the mosque lamp for the mausoleum of Amir Aydakin al-'Ala'i al-Bunduqdar. It is a light brown mosque lamp made after 1285 in Cairo. This specific artwork caught my attention because of the way it is constructed. In the center is an arch surrounded by Arabic calligraphy. I can read Arabic fluently, I just don't know the meaning of what I'm reading, but I managed to ask someone what the writing meant. The writings reveal that the lamp was ordered for Aidakin's mausoleum, a building in Cairo. Another important work of art that caught my attention was a wool rug, known as a prayer rug. It caught my attention because it is surrounded by calligraphy, a specific type of calligraphy known as pseudo-Kufic. It was originally supposed to be written in Arabic calligraphy on all four edges, but the designer realizes that the end is where people step and that Arabic calligraphy shouldn't be stepped on, so he blurs the calligraphy from the end to make it look illegible. . The other three edges are readable, so I have the ability to read Arabic. I find the Islamic calligraphy collection at the Met to be very attractive and beautiful art. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The works of art in the Metropolitan Museum's Islamic collection all have specific provenances that come from all over the world. Album Leaf with Calligraphic Experiment, artwork, was created by Asadullah Shirazi. He also wrote a book with practice pages to strengthen a calligrapher's hand and create discipline for repeating letters in writing. The Prayer Book piece was created by 'Abd al-Qadir Hisari. He was known for his “calligrams and pictorial calligraphic compositions”. He also created another piece in the collection, the Calligraphic Galleon. This is an image of a ship that has the names of the "Seven Sleepers and their dog" written in it.