Islamic Star Design

Mirab (Prayer Niche) Iran, Isfahan

Roof of tomb of Persian poet Hafez , Shiraz, Iran

Banyan

 

Recently my art classes explored the geometric star patterns found in Islamic Art from the ~5th-16th centuries. I did not get too in depth with the history since I work with young kids, except to note the symbolic use of the geometric patterns.



Arabian pattern from Cairo

"The Islamic search for order in the universe is a search for ancient truths that have always been part of the world around us. In Islamic art, the spiritual world is reflected in nature, or the physical world, not through representational images, but through geometry and rhythm. Therefore, in the Islamic culture, math is not a mental exercise, but a reflection of the order found in both the natural and spiritual world. The artists believed that the geometric pattern of tile work could aid the viewer in raising his spiritual understanding. Muslim intellectuals recognized in geometry the unifying intermediary between the material and the spiritual world. These patterns may be seen as symbolizing the Islamic principles of “Tawhid” (the unity of all things) and “Mizan” (order and balance), which are the laws of creation in Islam.

Islamic concentration on geometric pattern draws attention away from the figures in our everyday world and focuses on pure forms that reflect the structure of the universe. One of these forms is the circle. The circle is significant in that it contains both the end and beginning of its own form. In many cultures, the circle is the symbol for eternity, and in Islamic art, the circle is a symbol for wholeness and unity. " Quote from  Islamic Patterns and M.C. Escher's Tessellations  NTIEVA Newsletter Vol. 14, no. 1


M.C. Escher used this same division of the plane except he used recognizable figures of animals

Dado panel from Egypt


From Persian manuscripts in the British museum
 

I didn't fully understand the historical background when I first began studying the different tile patterns, and wondered why there were so many similarities in the tiles of other countries. "The Muslim history began in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and over time spread to Northern Africa, and also to Syria and Anatolia. Next, they spread eastward to Persia (which is now Iran), Afghanistan, Central Asia, and India, eventually reaching China, Indonesia, and other parts of the Far East." What is interesting is that as they moved into new areas, they added the artistic elements for the patterns, for clay bodies, glazes, etc. from these tradititons and cultures, to their talents, elaborating and adjusting the patterns and ideas as needed to fit their beliefs. 
*Note: My historical understanding is very basic and much more can be learned through some of the links I've added below.


Jali Screen- India
 

 

Introduction to Islamic Art:

http://www.lacma.org/islamic_art/intro.htm

http://arthistoryresources.net/ARTHislamic.html

http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/islamic.htm

 

 

In the class we focused on the star patterns. These could be created with a compass and a series of overlapping circles...

 


Islamic Star Design Demo

 

Celeste

Cole

Makayla

Kelly

 

If the compass was too hard the student I had cut a  stencil for them to trace. By tracing the star repeatedly on the paper in vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, they could come up with various designs.

Nikol

John

Corban

Taylor

 I let each student choose the colors for their patterns, but first showed them examples of how different the pattern could look depending on the colors used and what shapes in the pattern were colored.

Stephanie

Elijah

Olivia

Josie

 

 

 More tile examples

Moresque Tiles



Patterns from the Alhambra



Byzantine patterns

Excellent sites explaining the grids and patterns for the geometric designs can be found at:
http://www.patterninislamicart.com/links/

Some I found useful...

Islamic Geometric Designs

    

http://art.unt.edu/ntieva/pages/about/newsletters/vol_14/no_1/index.html
This site had lesson plans, reproducibles, star patterns and student worksheets

http://www.catnaps.org/islamic/geometry.html A very extensive site! I browsed "Background to two-dimensional design – geometry and pattern" with detailed explanations to grids and patterns