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Essay / Analysis of the contribution of selected artists to Islamic art
Islamic art includes cultural and religious art forms subject to a wide range of geographical influences. The aim of this article is to study four different artists to identify their signatures and attributions in two museums. The two museums I chose are the Metropolitan Museums of Arts (MET) and the Chester Beatty Library (CBL). From the MET Museum, I chose to discuss the artists Govardhan and Nanha. From the CBL, I will talk about the artist Dharm Das and the calligrapher Ja' far al-Baysunghuri. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Based on the MET website, Govardhan is a portrait painter whose works are attributed to the Mughal emperor. In Figure 1, Govardhan has written his name in Persian with the left leaf. The calligrapher, Sultan Ali Mashhadi, signed his name and the place of production of the work of art on the right leaf. Looking at other works of Govardhan on the website, it was shown that Govardhan inscribed his name on each first folio of his portraits. The site also describes how Govardhan studied under one of Akbar's greatest masters, Basawan. The second artist, Nanha, is an Indian miniature painter who produced manuscript paintings for the Mughal ruler, Bhim Kanwar. The artist signed his name in Persian on the left leaf and a slave calligrapher, named Ali', also signed his name in the lower left corner. The artist has inscribed Shahi poetry on the verses as well as on the right folio of the work. The museum catalog does not delve into the artist's characteristics, as it focuses on the subject of the composition. The catalog, however, offers a detailed visual analysis of the illuminations. From the CBL, the two artists I chose are Dharm Das and Ja' far al-Baysunghuri. The first painting is by Indian miniature artist Dharm Das and calligrapher Muhammad Husayn Kashmiri, who inscribed the folios in Agra, India. The court historian and minister Abu'l-Fazl 'Allami composed the book. Unfortunately, the catalog does not describe the artists in depth, as it only provides explanations of the history of the subjects present in the artworks. The calligrapher Ja'far al-Baysunghur produced a detached folio dedicated to the Timurid prince Baysunghur. The poetry of the poet Sa' di is found in the folios. The entrance to the museum does not indicate where the artist's signature is located. Nevertheless, it describes the location of production and four other court painters who contributed the illustrations without their signatures. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, each museum's website provided a summary of the artwork and artists. Finding the desired artist was quite a challenge because there are many other artists who have produced more works than the one I chose. Each museum has distinctive catalog formats. For example, the MET catalog is much more descriptive than the CBL since the MET website provides the exact location of the artist's signature and inscriptions. The CBL certainly provides a well-descriptive catalog, but it lacks understanding of the artists and focuses primarily on the history of the subject in the artwork. Each manuscript consists of one or more signatures on each sheet because several artists contribute to the creation of the composition..