Iraqi art refers to all works of visual art originating from the geographical region of what is present day Iraq since ancient Mesopotamian periods. Under the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad was a literary and artistic center of Arab world. Its artistic traditions suffered at the hands of the Mongol invasion of the 13th century. Under Ottoman rule in the 16th century, Baghdad was known for its Ottoman miniature painting.Roxburgh, D.J., "Many a Wish Had Turned to Dust: Pir Budaq and the Formation of the Turkmen Arts of the Book," Chapter 9 in: David J. Roxburgh (ed.)., Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture: Essays in Honor of Renata Holod, Brill, 2014, pp 175–222 In the 20th century, an art revival, produced many notable poets, painters and sculptors who contributed to the inventory of public artworks, especially in Baghdad.
History
Mesopotamian art Iraq has one of the longest written traditions in the world. Maqam traditions in music and calligraphy have survived into the modern day.Rohde, A., State-Society Relations in Ba'thist Iraq: Facing Dictatorship, Routledge, 2010, Chapter 5 However, the continuity of Iraq's arts culture was disrupted by the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, which devastated much traditional art and craft and is generally seen as a break in the tradition of Iraqi art.Davis, B., The Iraqi Century of Art, Artnet Magazine, July 2008.
Although British archaeologists excavated several Iraqi sites, including Nimrud, Nineveh and Tell Halaf in Iraq in the 19th century,Potts, D.T. (ed), A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Volume 1, John Wiley & Sons, 2012, p. 51–52Pouillon, F., Dictionnaire des Orientalistes de Langue Française, KARTHALA, 2008, p. 924 they sent many of the artifacts and statues to museums around the world. It was not until the early 20th century, when a small group of Iraqi artists was awarded scholarships to study abroad, that they became aware of ancient Sumerian art by visiting prestigious museums such as the Louvre, enabling them to reconnect with their cultural and intellectual heritage.Shabout, N., "Jewad Selim: On Abstraction and Symbolism," in Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World, Online Nevertheless, figurines, dating to the Neolithic period, found at the Palace of Tell Halaf and elsewhere, attest to Iraq's ancient artistic heritage.
The Sassanids ruled the region that is now Iraq and Iran between the 3rd and 7th centuries. Sasanian art is best represented in metalwork, jewellery, architecture and wall-reliefs. Few paintings from this period have survived, but an understanding of jewellery ornamentation can be inferred from pictorial and sculptural representations.Ettinghausen, E., Grabar, O. and Jenkins, M., Islamic Art and Architecture: 650–1250, Yale University Press, 2001, pp 66–68 The art historian, Nada Shabout, points out that Iraqi art remains largely undocumented. The West has very little idea about Iraqi art. Problems associated with documenting a complete picture of Iraqi art have been compounded by the fact that many 20th-century artists, art historians and philosophers have been forced into exile, where they are isolated from their heritage and current practices.Shabout, N., "Ghosts of Futures Past: Iraqi Culture in a State of Suspension," in Denise Robinson, Through the Roadbloacks: Realities in Raw Motion, [Conference Reader], School of Fine Arts, Cyprus University, November 23–25, p. 94: it may be worth noting that the Ministry of Culture estimates that 80 percent of Iraqi artists are now living in exile, See: Art AsiaPacific Almanac, Volume 4, Art AsiaPacific, 2009, p. 75 In addition, much of Iraq's art heritage has been looted or destroyed during periods of revolution, war and political unrest.King, E.A. and Levi, G., Ethics and the Visual Arts, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2010, pp 105–110
During the early Islamic period, writing was transformed into an "iconophoric message ... a carrier of meaning independent of its form [and] into a subject worthy of the most elaborate ornamentation."Ettinghausen, E., Grabar, O. and Jenkins, M., Islamic Art and Architecture: 650–1250, Yale University Press, 2001, p. 79 Another development during this period was the use of repeating patterns or motifs on scrolls and wall-reliefs. Inherited from the Muslims, this highly stylised system of ornamentation was subsequently given the label of arabesque.
Abbasid art
The Abbasid dynasty developed in the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 945, primarily in its heartland of Mesopotamia. The Abbasids were influenced mainly by Mesopotamian architectural traditions and later influenced neighbouring styles such as Persian as well as Central Asian styles.
Between the 8th and 13th-centuries. During the Abbasid period, pottery achieved a high level of sophistication, calligraphy began to be used to decorate the surface of decorative objects and illuminated manuscripts, particularly Qur'anic texts became more complex and stylized.Hillenbrand, R., Islamic Art and Architecture, Thames & Hudson, [World of Art series], 1999, London, p. 59 Iraq's first art school was established during this period, allowing artisans and crafts to flourish.Dabrowska, K. and Hann, G., Iraq Then and Now: A Guide to the Country and Its People, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008, p. 278
At the height of the Abbasid period, in the late 12th century, a stylistic movement of manuscript illustration and calligraphy emerged. Now known as the Baghdad School, this movement of Islamic art was characterized by representations of everyday life and the use of highly expressive faces rather than the stereotypical characters that had been used in the past. The school consisted of calligraphers, illustrators, transcribers, and translators, who collaborated to produce illuminated manuscripts derived from non-Arabic sources. The works were primarily scientific, philosophical, social commentary, or humorous entertainments. This movement continued for at least four decades and dominated art in the first half of the 13th century."Baghdad school," in: Encyclopædia Britannica, Online: Poetry also flourished during the Abbasid period, producing notable poets including: the 9th-century Sufi poets Mansur Al-Hallaj and Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī.
The Abbasid artist Yahya al-Wasiti lived in Baghdad in the late Abbasid era (12th to 13th-centuries), and was the pre-eminent artist of the Baghdad school. His most well-known works include the illustrations for the book of the Maqamat (Assemblies) in 1237, a series of anecdotes of social satire written by al-Hariri.Esanu, O., Art, Awakening, and Modernity in the Middle East: The Arab Nude, Routledge, 2017, [E-book edition], n.p. Al-Waiti's illustrations served as an inspiration for the 20th-century modern Baghdad art movement.Wijdan, A. (ed.), Contemporary Art From The Islamic World, Scorpion, 1989, p.166 Other examples of works in the style of the Baghdad School include the illustrations in Rasa'il al-Ikhwan al-Safa (The Epistles of the Sincere Brethren), (1287); an Arabic translation of Pedanius Dioscorides’ medical text, De Materia Medica (1224) and the illustrated Kalila wa Dimna (Fables of Bidpai), (1222); a collection of fables by the Hindu, Bidpai translated into Arabic."Baghdad school," in: Miriam Drake (ed), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Volume 2, 2nd ed., CRC Press, 2003, p. 1259Dimand, M.S., A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930, p. 20
For centuries, Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate; its library was unrivalled and a magnet for intellectuals around the known world. However, in 1258, Baghdad fell to the Mongol invaders, who pillaged the city, decimating mosques, libraries, and palaces, thereby destroying most of the city's literary, religious, and artistic assets. The Mongols also killed between 200,000 and one million people, leaving the population totally demoralized and the city barely habitable.Frazier, I., "Invaders: Destroying Baghdad," New Yorker, [Special edition: Annals of History], April 25, 2005, Online Issue Iraqi art historians view this period as a time when the "chain of pictorial art" was broken.
Between the years 1400–1411 Iraq was ruled by the Jalayirid dynasty. During this time, Iraqi art and culture flourished. Between 1411 and 1469, during the rule of the Qara Quyunlu dynasty artists from different parts of the eastern Islamic world were invited to Iraq. Under the patronage of Pir Budaq, son of the Qara Quyunlu ruler, Jahan Shah (r. 1439–67), Iranian styles from Tabriz and Shiraz and even the styles of Timurid Central Asia were all brought together in Iraq. Baghdad's importance as a centre of the arts declined after Pir Budaq's death in 1466. The Qara Quyunlu period ended with the advent of the Aq Quyunlu. Though noted patrons of the arts, the Aq Quyunlu mostly focus on areas outside Iraq.
Between 1508 and 1534, Iraq came under the rule of the Safavid dynasty, which shifted the focus of arts to Iran. Baghdad experienced a revival in the arts during this period, and was also a center for literary works. The poet Fuzûlî (ca. 1495–1556) wrote during the period. He wrote in the three dominant languages of his time: Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Iraq was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1534, during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. The Iraqi poet Fuzûlî also wrote in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish during this time, and continued writing poetry after Ottoman rule was established in 1534. During the 16th century, Baghdad underwent another period of artistic revival; Iraqi painting from this time is called the “Baghdad school” of Ottoman miniature painting.
Iraqi experienced a cultural shift between the years 1400 and 1600 CE, which is also reflected in its arts. In the 16th century, political rule in Iraq transitioned from the Turco-Mongol dynasties to the Ottoman Empire. In its past Iraq had been a center of illuminated manuscripts but this art form experienced a general decline during this period.
19th century
Until the 20th century, Iraq had no tradition of easel painting. Traditional art, which included metal-work, rug-making and weaving, glass-blowing, ceramic tiles, calligraphy and wall murals were widely practiced during the 19th century. Some traditional practices traced their origins back to the 9th-century Assyrians. However, in the 19th century, mural painters were generally seen as artisans rather than artists—although in traditional Islamic society, the distinction between artists and artists was not well defined.
A few named individuals are known, including the painter, Abbud 'the Jewish' Naqqash and the calligrapher, painter and decorator; Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi ("Hashim the Calligrapher", early 20th century) (died 1973) and Niazi Mawlawi Baghdadi (19th century), but relatively few details of their lives and careers are known.Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 45
In the late 19th century, the rise of nationalistic and intellectual movements across the Arab world led to calls for an Arab-Islamic cultural revival. Artists and intellectuals felt that the growth in Western influences was a threat to Arab cultural identity.
At the same time as local artists began to adopt Western practices such as easel painting.Ali, W., Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, University of Florida Press, 1997, p. 46 they also searched consciously for a distinct national style.Tibi, B., Arab Nationalism between Islam and the Nation-state, 3rd edn., New York, Saint Martin's Press, 1997, p. 49
20th century