Introduction to Geometric Design in
Islamic Art
Neither the Qur’an nor the Traditions contain
specific mandates against figural representation
in art. 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 illustrated manuscripts belie that stricture.
Four types of ornamentation can be found in
Islamic art: calligraphy, figural forms (human
and animal), vegetal motifs, and geometric
patterns. These patterns, either singly or
combined, adorn all types of surfaces, forming
intricate and complex arrangements.
While geometric ornamentation may have
reached a pinnacle in the Islamic world,
sources for the basic shapes and intricate
patterns already existed in late antiquity in the
Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Islamic artists
appropriated key elements from the classical
tradition, then elaborated upon them to invent
a new form of decoration that stressed the
importance of unity, logic, and order. Essential
to this unique style were the contributions
made by Islamic mathematicians, astronomers,
and other scientists, whose ideas and technical
advances are indirectly reflected in the
artistic tradition.
The basic instruments for constructing geometric
designs were a compass and ruler. The circle
became the foundation for Islamic pattern, in
part a consequence of refinements made to
the compass by Arabic astronomers and
cartographers. The circle is often an organizing
element underlying vegetal designs; it plays an
important role in calligraphy, which the Arabs
defined as “the geometry of the line”; and it
structures all the complex Islamic patterns using
geometric shapes. These patterns have three
basic characteristics:
1. They are made up of a small number of
repeated geometric elements.
The simple forms
of the circle, square, and straight line are the
basis of the patterns. These elements are
combined, duplicated, interlaced, and
arranged in intricate combinations. Most
patterns are typically based on one of two
types of grid—one composed of equilateral
triangles, the other of squares. A third type
of grid, composed of hexagons, is a variation
on the triangular schema. The mathematical
term for these grids is “regular tessellation”
(deriving from Latin tesserae, i.e., pieces of
mosaic), in which one regular polygon is
repeated to tile the plane.
2. They are two-dimensional. Islamic designs
often have a background and foreground
pattern.
The placement of pattern upon pattern
serves to flatten the space, and there is no
attempt to create depth. Vegetal patterns are
may be set against a contrasting background in
which the plantlike forms interlace, weaving
over and under in a way that emphasizes the
foreground decoration. In other instances, the
background is replaced by a contrast between
light and shade. Sometimes it is impossible
to distinguish between foreground and
background. Some geometric designs are
created by fitting all the polygonal shapes
together like the pieces of a puzzle, leaving
no gaps and, therefore, requiring no spatial
interplay between foreground and background.
The mathematical term for this type of
construction is “tessellation.” The conception of
space in Islamic art is completely different from
Western models, which usually adopt a linear
perspective and divide the picture space into
foreground, middle ground, and background.
Artists of the Islamic world were largely
uninterested in linear perspective. Of the
various styles of Islamic art, it was in Persian
painting that a type of three-dimensional space
was used in which figures could interact, but
this space presented multiple viewpoints and
simultaneously featured bird’s-eye and
worm’s-eye views.
3. They are not designed to fit within a frame.
Geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests
a remarkable degree of freedom.
The complex
arrangements and combinations of elements
are infinitely expandable; the frame
surrounding a pattern appears to be arbitrary
and the basic arrangement sometimes provides
a unit from which the rest of the design can be
both predicted and projected.
Islamic Art
Neither the Qur’an nor the Traditions contain
specific mandates against figural representation
in art. 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 illustrated manuscripts belie that stricture.
Four types of ornamentation can be found in
Islamic art: calligraphy, figural forms (human
and animal), vegetal motifs, and geometric
patterns. These patterns, either singly or
combined, adorn all types of surfaces, forming
intricate and complex arrangements.
While geometric ornamentation may have
reached a pinnacle in the Islamic world,
sources for the basic shapes and intricate
patterns already existed in late antiquity in the
Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Islamic artists
appropriated key elements from the classical
tradition, then elaborated upon them to invent
a new form of decoration that stressed the
importance of unity, logic, and order. Essential
to this unique style were the contributions
made by Islamic mathematicians, astronomers,
and other scientists, whose ideas and technical
advances are indirectly reflected in the
artistic tradition.
The basic instruments for constructing geometric
designs were a compass and ruler. The circle
became the foundation for Islamic pattern, in
part a consequence of refinements made to
the compass by Arabic astronomers and
cartographers. The circle is often an organizing
element underlying vegetal designs; it plays an
important role in calligraphy, which the Arabs
defined as “the geometry of the line”; and it
structures all the complex Islamic patterns using
geometric shapes. These patterns have three
basic characteristics:
1. They are made up of a small number of
repeated geometric elements.
The simple forms
of the circle, square, and straight line are the
basis of the patterns. These elements are
combined, duplicated, interlaced, and
arranged in intricate combinations. Most
patterns are typically based on one of two
types of grid—one composed of equilateral
triangles, the other of squares. A third type
of grid, composed of hexagons, is a variation
on the triangular schema. The mathematical
term for these grids is “regular tessellation”
(deriving from Latin tesserae, i.e., pieces of
mosaic), in which one regular polygon is
repeated to tile the plane.
2. They are two-dimensional. Islamic designs
often have a background and foreground
pattern.
The placement of pattern upon pattern
serves to flatten the space, and there is no
attempt to create depth. Vegetal patterns are
may be set against a contrasting background in
which the plantlike forms interlace, weaving
over and under in a way that emphasizes the
foreground decoration. In other instances, the
background is replaced by a contrast between
light and shade. Sometimes it is impossible
to distinguish between foreground and
background. Some geometric designs are
created by fitting all the polygonal shapes
together like the pieces of a puzzle, leaving
no gaps and, therefore, requiring no spatial
interplay between foreground and background.
The mathematical term for this type of
construction is “tessellation.” The conception of
space in Islamic art is completely different from
Western models, which usually adopt a linear
perspective and divide the picture space into
foreground, middle ground, and background.
Artists of the Islamic world were largely
uninterested in linear perspective. Of the
various styles of Islamic art, it was in Persian
painting that a type of three-dimensional space
was used in which figures could interact, but
this space presented multiple viewpoints and
simultaneously featured bird’s-eye and
worm’s-eye views.
3. They are not designed to fit within a frame.
Geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests
a remarkable degree of freedom.
The complex
arrangements and combinations of elements
are infinitely expandable; the frame
surrounding a pattern appears to be arbitrary
and the basic arrangement sometimes provides
a unit from which the rest of the design can be
both predicted and projected.
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