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ISLAMIC GEOMETRIC PATTERN |
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The uses of geometric designs have been central to the works of many Islamic artists and designers in all parts of the Islamic world. We find that the use of repetitive pattern and design when combined and complemented with the existing traditions of nations and regions, have led towards the creation of new and distinctive Islamic art within the Islamic world. What were the reasons behind artists embracing the need for geometric and decorative floral patterns, and when compared to their western counterparts, why were such limitations placed on their creativity? The advancement in the field of geometric and decorative patterns and the establishment of such a unique art form is mainly due to the discouragement of images in Islam. This is due to the danger of idolatry, and goes against the central Islamic doctrine of Tawhid. This discouragement in figurative art, although testing for some artists, opens up the possibility of expressing love and devotion for their Creator in a more complex yet fulfilling form for the believer. The figurative art therefore could not encompass the infinite nature of the Creator. It would also be unable to express the vision of order and logic present in the universe and the unification between the material and spiritual world which is so prevalent in Islam. The study and the creation of this geometric art directly links with the need for Muslim scholars in studying mathematics and astronomy, in order to gain a higher understanding the link between the spiritual and material. Their passion and intellectual need for understanding the order of the universe brought works of mathematicians such as Pythagoras into the forefront. This interest at the same time fed and nourished the need for complex abstraction in Islamic art, more importantly it was able to give a structure to build around. The development of infinitely repeating patterns using mathematical laws can in some ways symbolise the logic behind creation and the unchanging, everlasting laws of the Creator. The unchanging arrangement and uniformity of geometric patterns, therefore presents the viewer with an interpretation of the integration of religious rules and order. It also allows us to understand the harmony and the natural order within the universe and creation itself.
It is fair to say that due to the limitations placed on artist in the discouragement of figurative art, Muslim artists were able to develop a system of integration, repetition and symmetry in their artworks, something which had previously not been undertaken. The decoration of surfaces such as walls, floors, pots or textiles by artists, can therefore be regarded as an expression of both the Islamic vision of the universe and their own devotion to their Creator.
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