If calligraphy is one unifying factor of Islamic art, geometry is another. Despite being made up of a huge geographic area with various ethnicities, cultures, environments and artistic traditions - geometry unites them all. There are a number of principles which bind this feature together, which shall be explored through out the post.
Geometric patterns vary in design from basic shapes to more complex patterning with stars and polygons. However, the more elaborate are still built from more basic elements such as triangles and circles to build up and give a more intricate pattern. Issam El-Said (1993) states that Islamic geometrical patterns are based on the 'Square and Hexagonal Repeat Unit and the Root Two and Root Three System of Proportion.' Simply put, this means that a circle can be divided into four (or multiples of four) equal parts and then patterns can be derived from the remaining shapes. The Root Three system similarly divides shapes but into groups of six, or multiples of six.
The most famous traditional practice of creating geometric designs in Islamic art is called 'Zillij' (pronounces 'ze-leej'). This technique results from cutting recognisable shapes to make patterns and is often linked to Moroccan ceramics. Arranged like a puzzle, Zillij shapes are cut from tiles and then stuck together to create the walls and floors of mosques, homes and schools.
Interpretations of Geometric Patterns
Albas and Salman (1995) state that Muslims recognised in geometry 'the unifying intermediary between the material and the spiritual world' (p9). Nasr (1987) notes that the octagon is a result of a rotated square, which represents the four elements of the universe (Water, Earth, Fire, Air). It is not solely as a result of being unable to represent people.
The use of floral, vegetal and plant forms also occurs plentifully in Islamic art, often in a spiral pattern. This is named 'arabesque' - 'a term that refers to an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage or fruit to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines'.
El-said and Parman (1976) referred to the use of geometry in Islamic art and architecture as a 'unifying concept of composition despite the diversity of materials, forms or styles used'. They also traced this unifying concept to all art forms, including 'decorative arts, calligraphy, architecture and the composition of music and Arabic poetry' (El-Said and Parman 1976). Geometric patterns have several principles and features, including:
1) Symmetry - geometric patterns have a balance and harmony of proportion between their basic structures.Structure and construction
2) Repetition - a repeat unit or cell is the base for geometric patterns. This repeat unit can be in the shape of a square or a hexagon
3) Scalability - geometric patterns can be used in any size and scale. For example, we can see a pattern on an architectural wall tens of feet high, and the same pattern can be seen on a miniature painting a few inches in size
4) Adaptability - Islamic art elements can be employed with many artistic techniques on a variety of media
5) Coverage - Islamic art tends to cover the entire object that is used for the design. Whether the object is a small dish or an architectural wall, Islamic art elements, including geometric patterns, tend to over the entire object.
6) Movement - Patterns in Islamic art and architecture are not static. The interlacing of strands of geometric patterns in complex star configurations and polygons conveys an illusion of never-ending movement (Behrens-Abouseif, 1999).
7) Frames - the majority of geometric patterns are framed or placed within a pre-calculated surface or framed object.
Geometric patterns vary in design from basic shapes to more complex patterning with stars and polygons. However, the more elaborate are still built from more basic elements such as triangles and circles to build up and give a more intricate pattern. Issam El-Said (1993) states that Islamic geometrical patterns are based on the 'Square and Hexagonal Repeat Unit and the Root Two and Root Three System of Proportion.' Simply put, this means that a circle can be divided into four (or multiples of four) equal parts and then patterns can be derived from the remaining shapes. The Root Three system similarly divides shapes but into groups of six, or multiples of six.
The most famous traditional practice of creating geometric designs in Islamic art is called 'Zillij' (pronounces 'ze-leej'). This technique results from cutting recognisable shapes to make patterns and is often linked to Moroccan ceramics. Arranged like a puzzle, Zillij shapes are cut from tiles and then stuck together to create the walls and floors of mosques, homes and schools.
Interpretations of Geometric Patterns
Albas and Salman (1995) state that Muslims recognised in geometry 'the unifying intermediary between the material and the spiritual world' (p9). Nasr (1987) notes that the octagon is a result of a rotated square, which represents the four elements of the universe (Water, Earth, Fire, Air). It is not solely as a result of being unable to represent people.
Keith Critchlow (1976) has offered a cosmological analysis of geometrical patterns in Islamic art and architecture. He indicated that from the circle originate the three most fundamental figures in Islamic art. The first and simplest is the triangle, which originates from the expansion of one circle into three circles, and symbolises 'human consciousness and the three basic biological functions - ingestion, digestion and excretion' (p16). Expanding the circle can give us the other two fundamental shapes of Islamic art, the square and the hexagon: 'A square often symbolises earth and its materiality and a hexagon represents heaven.'Arabesque in Islamic Art
The use of floral, vegetal and plant forms also occurs plentifully in Islamic art, often in a spiral pattern. This is named 'arabesque' - 'a term that refers to an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage or fruit to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines'.
The arabesque motifs that are used in Islamic art and architecture underwent various changes and developments from pre-Islamic cultures and civilisations to what they are today. The splitting of stems in arabesque designs produces a series of 'counter-poised, leafy, secondary stems, which can in turn split again or return to be reintegrated into the main stem' (Jones, 1978, p.171).The use of arabesque is often used to point towards and recognise a Divine Presence and the beauty of nature which he has bestowed upon earth. Floral and plant motifs are an appreciation for God's creations. This again hints to the religious function of my pot, as well can appreciated the beautiful black flowers that appear to grow from the middle.
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