The word Saqqakhaneh comes from the Persian term for public water fountains, small shrines often decorated with talismans, metal plaques, ribbons, locks, and symbols of devotion.
Saqqakhaneh emerged at a moment when Iran stood between rapid modernization and the weight of its own cultural memory. European modernism dominated the art academies in Tehran, and even…
The word Hurufiyya comes from huruf ! The Arabic word for letters.
Artists adopted this name in the mid-20th century to signal something clear: They were building a new modern language rooted in the structure of the Arabic letter itself.
Hurufiyya emerged as Arab artists sought a modern visual identity that did not depend on…
One invitation changed everything
In 1947, a 16-year-old Algerian girl who had never attended art school found her drawings traveling farther than she had ever dreamed. Baya Mahieddine’s fantastical women, gardens, and creatures, drawn from her own inner world, reached Paris and were exhibited at Galerie Maeght, a center of modern art at the…
Every curve begins with a rule. Every letter begins with intention.
When we encounter Arabic letters in modern art, we often respond instinctively to their rhythm, presence, and confidence. What we rarely notice is the design discipline behind them, a proportional system known as al-khatt al-mansūb, where nothing is improvised, and every stroke is measured.…
What we call “style” is often just one idea studied deeply.
Napoleon Hill writes that knowledge only becomes power when it is specialized and applied. He wasn’t speaking about art, but the principle fits Arab art with striking precision. The artists who shaped our region didn’t spread themselves too thin. They chose one question, returned…
