introduction to geometry and pattern

7/31/2019 Introduction to Geometry and Pattern

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7001 Introduction to Geometry in Islamic Art, by Raeda Ashour 2 of 9

Islamic architectural details and symbols. Because of the complicated shapes in

most of the Islamic designs, I used to either simplify them or use them as collage

pieces.

My education was not in the field of art. I gained my B.A. in Middle East Studies

which is based mainly on the history and politics of the Middle East. All my

current knowledge related to art came from books and experience. For these

reasons I felt the need to study Islamic art in detail. The workshop was interesting,

inspiring, and helpful. My respect for art increased as I discovered the amount of

effort and accuracy needed to complete an art piece. I will explain in detail what

the workshop was based on, what I learned and how I plan to use the knowledge

gained from this learning experience. In fact I am planning to take another

workshop that will be held by the same school in March.

Introduction to Islamic art: And the bases for the workshop:

1.1 I find it useful to give a brief introduction to Islamic art. It is a fact that the law

of the Qur'an “is social as well as spiritual: no aspect of life is untouched by it

and therefore all art has to abide by its principles. The complete ban on

representational art in the most important contexts, such as in mosques or in the

writing and illumination of the Qur’an, is particularly striking and meant that

the artistic genius of the Islamic world took a different direction to Christianart.”

1It is said that “Muslims tended to reject the representation of the visible

in their art to emphasize that the visible reality is but an illusion and that Allah

alone is true. Abstraction thus became a way to make a very specific

theological point… It is true that the early Islamic art modified the art of

previous centuries by tending to avoid the presentation of humans and animals.

Whether this reluctance was derived from a still undetected religious

prohibition or from a search for a cultural identity distinct from the identities of

other traditions remains a matter of scholarly debate.”2

Another source states

that:

“Neither the Qur'an nor the traditions (the Sunna of the prophet)

contain specific mandates against figural representation in art.

1 Eva Wilson, British Museum Pattern Books: Islamic Design, British Museum Press, 1988, p.9

2 Grolier Academic Encyclopedia, Grolier International, 1983, V. 11, p.296




However, both sources take a firm stance against idolatry and the

worship of images. These precepts were interpreted strictly by early

Islamic religious leaders and exegetes as an injunction against the

depiction of human or animal figures, although extant examples of

architectural decoration, objects in all media, and illustratedmanuscripts belie that stricture. Four types of ornamentation can be

found in Islamic art: calligraphy, figural forms (human and animal),

vegetal motifs, and geometric patters.”3

In the workshop we studied some aspects of Islamic art related to these last two

elements.

1.2 Geometry is one the most important elements of Islamic art. “Star shapes and

polygons appear in all the arts and provide a source of much architectural

decoration… geometric shapes are highly versatile and can be extremely

complicated.”4 “One of the common myths of Islamic art is that it is

characterized by a horror of vacui or fear of emptiness, leading to

unwillingness to leave any surface blank or undecorated. Although this is an

exaggeration and overgeneralization, the surfaces of many Islamic objects are

substantially covered in ornament, often small-scale and combining several

types of decorations.”5 “Geometry lies at the heart of Islamic design …From

the simple polygons and rectangles used as framing devices to the highly

complex interlaces of stars and irregular polygons, geometry functions as an

organizing principle on the surfaces of the whole range of media.”6 Canbywrote in her recent book “Islamic Art in Detail” that “the reasons for the firm

establishment of geometry as one of the dominant types of Islamic ornament

are not entirely clear. However, the intellectual environment at the courts of the

'Abbasids caliphs from the 9th to the 11th century may have played a role in

generating an interest in mathematics which extended far beyond the confines

of the court itself.”7

3Islamic Art and Geometric Design: Activities for Learning, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004,

p.10

4Sheila R. Candy, Islamic Art in Detail, The British Museum Press, 2005, p.8

5Ibid. p.6

6Ibid. p. 20

7 Ibid. p. 20




1.3 This is a brief introduction to the school that organized the workshop. The

Visual and Traditional Arts program (VITA) was founded to specialize in the

arts and architecture of Islam as well as the traditional arts of other

civilizations. It is written in the leaflet of the school that “one of the principal

aims of VITA is to encourage an appreciation of the universal values that arefundamental to the arts of “the great traditions of the world.””

8VITA forms the

core education program of HRH the Prince of Wales’s newly formed Prince’s

School of Traditional Arts. It is also mentioned in the leaflet of the school that:

1.3.1 “The work of VITA represents more than just an education for the

eyes, hands and mind: it has an impact on the soul through an

objective understanding of the full meaning of art. Traditional art

asks the viewer to look not at the works as a personal expression of

the individual artist, but on the artist's particular evocation of a

universal principle. VITA aims to encourage an awareness amongthe students that form, pattern and color, as manifested in the

various branches of traditional arts, are not simply aesthetically

pleasing or demonstrations of good design, but embody a profound

beauty- the beauty of the permanent that shines through in the world

of the transient.”9

1.4 One of the objectives of the school is to find a practical solution to the threat of

extinction that a lot of traditional art forms now face. It is a fact that many

traditional art forms have already been destroyed.

1.5 The workshop was taught by three experts from the Prince’s School of

Traditional Arts (London, UK): Elise Solveg Delong (PhD Candidate Visual

and Islamic Art Program VITA), Saba Rifat (MA Visual Arts VITA), and

Naomi Louise Preston (MA Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts, The Prince’s

School of Traditional Arts). The aim of the workshop was to introduce us to the

principles of Islamic design. The three experts were extremely efficient and the

workshop was well organized. There were 18 participants.

2 Ideas Implemented and Learning Experience

During the workshop the day was divided into two parts with a 30-minute break

between the sessions. The first session dealt with geometric designs. The second

session dealt with the Islimi or Biomorphic designs. A study guide and all the tools

8The leaflet of VITA

9 Ibid.




needed were provided. A brief introduction was given to help the participants to

understand the language of traditional visual Islamic art. The first page of the guide

begins with beautiful words introducing the nature of visual Islamic art. It is written

that “nature provides many examples of absolute beauty which can only serve to

inspire the artist. Nature's beauty consists of the beautiful interaction between straightand curved crystalline and biomorphic. There is infinite variety in her essential

unity.”10 The two-week workshop explored the geometry and the biomorphic forms

found in nature and in Islamic adornment. “Islamic artisans have taken the basic

principles presented by Euclid and transformed them into complex and sophisticated

patterns and architectural forms which express their love of beauty and creation… By

drawing overlapping circles and lines using just a pair of compasses and a straight

edge, the student begins to explore the different symmetry groups within the

generation of the basic polygon shapes.”11

2.1 We learned how to construct eight-fold patterns using compasses and rulers,

and to compose the delicate floral motifs frequently used in the adornment of

the Qur'ans and mosques. We were also taught how to explore some elements

of color harmony as they relate to nature.

During the morning sessions we practiced how to draw:

1- The triangle and the circle: simple division into six.

2- Variations on the octagonal theme (the static and the dynamic octagon).

3- The octagon and the semi-regular grids.4- The octagon and the eight-pointed star.

5- How the circle divides itself.

6- The square, four- and eight-fold symmetry.

7- The basis for the classical Islamic Pattern of what is called the eight-fold

rosettes.

8- The construction of eight-fold symmetry with a sixteen-fold rosette. (All work

will be shown at the end of the paper).

The second session was dedicated to the practice of biomorphic motifs commonly

featured in adorning stone, wood, plastic, ceramics, and textiles. “The refined and

exceptional development of biomorphic designs can be admired in many of the

10Study Guide: Principles of Islamic Design: Geometric Patterns and Islimi Motifs, The

Prince's School of Traditional Arts in Partnership with Effat College, 2006, p. 3

11 Ibid. P. 14




great mosques and illuminated Qur'ans from around the Islamic world.”12

It is

written in the study guide that “through observing the fine beauty of lines and

shapes in natural growth forms one can begin to appreciate and reflect on the

origins of traditional floral motifs. By gaining traditional knowledge and tools one

is able to assimilate and develop these lines and shapes into beautiful designs andmotifs.”13 During this session we were introduced to coloring and painting

patterns. The exercises included:

1- Radial symmetry.

2- Islimi drawing exercises.

3- Drawing leaf motifs.

4- Qur'anic illumination. This part of the workshop became a group project using

the octagon and star polygon sub-grid presented earlier in the workshop.

12Ibid. p. 33

13 Ibid. p. 35




3 Making Use of the Experience

Using the material from the workshop, I used the sixteen-fold rosette geometric design in a

painting; and I drew another piece based on the Qur'anic illuminations using the static octagon and

star polygon sub-grid presented earlier in the workshop. By applying my techniques and color themes, my work will take on a new, modern look based on the old traditions. These two pieces are

printed on the last page of the paper. I am also planning a solo exhibition of which the new work

will constitute one-third. I am working on the sketches now. I hope to meet a need for medium

sized pieces that people can afford to purchase and that can also be printed in a limited number of

copies to be sold to hotels, banks, and other institutions because original art work is always

expensive.

The other project is to print cards based on these Islamic designs for commercial uses inside the

country for residents, and for the millions of pilgrims who come to Hajj (pilgrimage) every year.

The cards could be bought as souvenirs of, or greeting cards from, the country. The cards could

also be purchased by companies and banks for season’s greetings.

Finally, I would like to mention that I was getting bored by the themes I was using, and lacked the

ability to think about new ideas. This workshop inspired and motivated me to do more workshops

and research in the subject. On page 8I have included three pieces from the work done. The first

two pieces represent the biomorphic theme and the third represents my colored painting of a

sixteen-fold rosette that each of the participants made.

introduction to geometry and pattern

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