word of the day:: arabesque

arabesque:

[ar-uh-besk]

–noun

1.  Fine Arts . a sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.

2. a pose in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with one arm extended in front and the other leg and arm extended behind.

3. a short, fanciful musical piece, typically for piano.

4. any ornament or ornamental object, as a rug or mosaic, inwhich flowers, foliage, fruits, vases, animals, and figures are represented in a fancifully combined pattern.

-adjective

5. decorated with or characterized by arabesques: arabesque design.

  

Origin:

1605–15;  < F < It arabesco  ornament in Islamic style, lit.,Arabian, equiv. to arab ( o ) arab  + -esco -esque

"What is line? It is life. A line must live at each point along its course in such a way that the artist's presence makes itself felt above that of the model.... With the writer, line takes precedence over form and content. It runs through the words he assembles. It strikes a continuous note unperceived by ear or eye. It is, in a way, the soul's style, and if the line ceases to have a life of its own, if it only describes an arabesque, the soul is missing and the writing dies.. "

:: Jean Cocteau ::

* Definition from www.dictionary.com