Isn't this pretty?(Mohammed Received by the Four Angels; Persia, 1436)
Found at image archive. Was looking for cartoon to post as solidarity with Western Press & stumbled across remarkable & charming muslim artwork. Quel serendipidity! It contradicts everything armchair islamic art experts ever said. It depicts: living forms; 'human' profiles; angels; women figures (unveiled!); & the prophet himself, including his face! And it's delightful!
I love its festive colours & warm spirit. Like a stained glass window; strong, bold hues clash evocatively, bursting with vibrant emotions. The welcomers jubilant or in reverent awe, focus raptly at the prophet in a striking, leftward contrary pose. The script, read right-to-left, gives viewer sensation of gliding as Mohammed moves to greet each angel. Layered drapes clearly evince 3-D, a sense of space & depth beyond the immediately visible. His severely curtailed feet (almost peripheral) invokes floating weightlessness; a 'heavenly' suspension enhanced by lofty, airy curtains hovering cloud-like. Grand, billowy veils suggest more than the majestic gateway to paradise, but provoke mystery & yearning for the unimaginable glories beyond. A truly religious vision.
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