WOMAN'S JOURNEY TO PEACE ILLUMINES ANCIENT ISLAMIC ART
Enzo
CATHERINE FOX, Atlanta Journal, 4/3/05
http://www.accessatlanta.com/arts/content/arts/0405/03back.html
Jimmy Carter Boulevard is not ordinarily the path to enlightenment. This
month, however, it leads to an oasis of spiritual comfort and aesthetic
delight otherwise known as Islamic art.
Tucked in a nondescript office park off the Norcross four-lane, the Istanbul
Cultural Center is hosting an exhibition of classical Turkish arts by
Muhsine Duygu and her students.
Embracing a tradition that dates back at least to the ninth century, Duygu
embellishes book pages and loose sheets of text from the Quran and the
Islamic creed, as well as poetry. The designs are called illuminations,
which are celebrated for their intricacy, delicacy and refinement.
In keeping with the tenets of her Islamic faith, Duygu eschews figures.
Applying watercolor and gold leaf with the teeniest of brushes, she draws
arabesques, creeping vines dotted with flowers, geometric patterns. The
intertwined lines, which reveal no beginning or end, are intended to reflect
eternal truth.