A CRITICAL APPROACH TO HISTORICISM'S VIEW ON ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY

Abstract. There are two general approaches to the study of Islamic art, each of which explaining some aspects of the art of calligraphy. Underlying the Historicism approach is the assumption that calligraphy is a worldly phenomenon whose evolution depends on historical, geographical, social, and political circumstances. The traditionalism approach, on the other hand, holds that Islamic art and, in particular, Islamic calligraphy result from spiritual beliefs and originate in timeless and placeless facts. The followers of the latter believe that Islamic calligraphy has was developed and has evolved as a result of respect for God's word which is a of a divine nature and which is never affected by human power. The present paper aims at a critical review of the Historicism approach to Islamic calligraphy. A investigation of this approach will indicate that calligraphy cannot be assigned to any Divine source and its evolution has become possible through later Islamic artists who, in contrast to early Muslims, have consciously tried to develop the art of calligraphy. In Islamic calligraphy, form and decoration dominate the content. It was the geographical expansion of Islam that made Muslim Arabs aware of the importance of handwriting and calligraphy. Oncloser inspection, however, it can be demonstrated that reductionism is inherent in the Historicism approach since it neglects the human component in the study of calligraphy.Key words: calligraphy, Historicism approach, reductionism