THESIS STATEMENT
I read in a book that “Islamic art is an art that doesn’t exist” and in one time in one of my classes I found a book that is full of abstract art in which I was inspired to do a pattern book of Islamic art and show that beautiful lines and colors and designs with information about where they came from and where they were used at. I want to show that Islamic art can be used in other than mosques as of today. When someone hears or reads the name “Islamic art” They immediately think about religion, but in fact, it was named after the era it came from, which people before, used it to decorate their buildings, books, and letters. This name changed by the time to Arabesque, which means Arabic style designs. These designs are rarely to find outside a religious place.
Image of the pattern's book cover
From the inside of the book, shows the design and the application applied to
A design process page of one of the designs
PROJECT GOALS AND BACKGROUND
Islamic art was developed before 1400 years ago which shows the land and the people of this land from many fields in life, such as calligraphy that shows the beautiful letters of Arabic, geometric designs that is full of shapes, and floral designs that is all about flowers and leaves. Over the time, the word Arabesque, was developed from the Islamic art, which shows mostly Arabic designs that are not just from the Arab world but also from other regions such as Turkey and Iran. My goal with this project is to keep the Islamic art alive and modernize the designs so that today’s generations look at it as an art that could be used in any century. The using of these designs will be in applications such as phone covers, t-shirts, or event tickets. These uses will spread Islamic art and let people want to know more about it and want to have the designs inside homes.These designs will be in a pattern book that addresses the idea of using Islamic art in places other than mosques and houses, also shows that this art is all about the designs and colors not just the religion. The book has the design and the mockup, and after this the design process which artists and designers (the audience) can inspire from them and make more designs from what I made to let people know more about Islamic art.
THE COVER
The first thing I decided to do was what I want from my designs in the cover. there was a lot to choose from but at the end I landed in using one of the calligraphic fonts I have which is the "Kufic." This font have square edges which helps to adjust and resize in the cover. after I chose how I want my cover to look like. I turned into designing the type of the book title which is "Modern Arabesque." At first I thought about just using a type face that goes with the "Kufic" font, but then I decided to design the title into the Kufic style type.
Here I used part of the quote "and you think that you are but a little comet, and the whole world lies within you" by Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb.
The title designed using Kufic style type
VISUAL SOURCES
These are designs captured inside mosques in Pakistan, Iran and Palestine. These designs shows the beauty and the colors used with islamic art using nature and geometric designs with spiritual colors.
PATTERN SKETCHES
At first I begin with drawing circles to begin sketching on it without knowing how to do arabesque. I begin with my little knowledge. After this sketch I shifted to free sketching designs without base, trying to design in floral style.
Then I transferred everything into illustrator by making a base fro myself then sketching geometric designs in it, and another base for floral and calligraphic designs.
With just one base, I designed several geometric designs with color studies.
THE COLORS
The colors where inspired by the same ones are used in mosques and the historic places but with a little twist in it just to have a change in colors. Although the colors used in mosques are blue and green which are considered as spiritual colors, most of what I used are pink, red, yellow and orange. I used some blues and greens with the design just to stay in the same idea of spiritual colors.
BEGINNING STAGES
As I colored it, I also noticed that when these shapes were repeated over and over in the walls of the mosques, so I decided to make these pattern in a new modern way, leaving some empty spaces in the design to let it breath, just to break the rule of having crowded designs. These designs where my beginning stages.
Then I changed the way my designs are, still breaking the rules a little but also in three different ways of design that are calligraphy, geometric, and floral. Then I divided two of then in several parts to show more into arabesque, each with different colors.
THE PATTERN BOOK
Lastly, I designed the pattern book where I have the design and the application I Applied the design. Also, I added a page for the process work where designers and artists can get inspired from these pages and know how I made the designs.
CONCLUSION
This pattern book has introduced me to the world of Islamic art and show me that there is a kind of design named Arabesque where I was introduced to how to make it and how mathematics and base are so much more important than doing free designs without any guide. Diving into the world of Islamic art wasn't my first time to do, I made some diving into it a long time ago when I was in high school. But This time I really focused and have a passion for making Islamic art.
SOURCES
Written
- The history and characteristics of Islamic Art – Professor Mohammad Abdulaziz Marzoq Asaad Publications, Baghdad – 1965
This book talks about all kinds of Islamic art including arabesque. Which takes a few sections that talk about the history, and other sections that talk about kinds of arts in Islam.
- In the Islamic Art – Zaki Mohammad Hassan – Hindawi Foundation for education and culture, Egypt – 2012
This book goes deeply inside Islamic art from design to where to find them, from homes to mosques.
- Khatai Decorations – Rehab Ebrahim Ahmed Ahmed Al Saedi – College of Literature, Egypt – 2021.
This is an article about Khatai, or in English Arabesque. It talks about what is the roots and where it is inspired from.
- Luca Mozzati. Islamic Art. Prestel Verlag, Munch. 2010.
-Bahia Shehab, Haytham Nawar. A History of Arab Graphic Design. The American University in Cairo Press, Egypt. 2020.
Visual
- The complex geometry of Islamic design – Eric Broug – TEDx
This video from Tedx talks about the complex geometry in arabesque and how they are made.
- Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – Oman
- Wazir Khan Mosque – Pakistan
- Nasir Al Mulk Mosque – Iran
- Hassan II mosque – Morocco
- Al-Aqsa Mosque – Palestine
- Families of Motifs – developed by Seljuks and Ottomans – Biomorphic Art: The Art of Arabsque. Adam Williamson.
- Arabesque Made Easy – Joumana Media
