Architectural Elements in Islamic Ornamentation: New Vision in Contemporary Islamic Art

Abstract

Throughout history, Islamic Ornamentation was the most characteristic to identify Islamic architecture. It used in mosques and other Islamic buildings. Many studies were about the formation of Islamic art from pre-existing traditional elements and about the nature of the power which wrought all those various elements into a unique synthesis. Nobody will deny the unity of Islamic art, despite the differences of time and place. It’s far too evident, whether one contemplates the mosque of Cordoba, the great schools of Samarkand or Al- Mustansiriya. It’s like the same light shone forth from all these works of art.

Islam does not prescribe any particular forms of art. It merely restricts the field of expression. Ideology of Islam depends on the fixed and variable principles. Fixed indicate to the main principles of Islam that could not be changed in place and time including the oneness of God, while the variable depends on human vision in different places through time. It's called the intellectual vision inherited in Islamic art.

Islamic Ornamentation today is repeating the same forms, by which, it turns to a traditional heritage art. From this specific point the research problem started.

Are we able to find different style of ornament that refers to Islamic Art? Islamic ideology in its original meaning is a faculty of timeless realities. Islamic art derives its beauty from wisdom.

The aim of this study is to contextualize the concept and analyze the Islamic traditional ornamentation, focusing on the principles of Islamic ideology, which was behind the formation of a distinct identity and uniform architecture in Islamic cities and across time. Second step is about suggesting some of the Islamic architectural elements as new ornamental elements that have the same effect within the limit of Islamic ideology and principles, in order to present new ornamentation elements. Finally applying the new elements in models of artistic paintings as a practical application done by researcher to produce the new vision as a contemporary Islamic ornamentation.

Keywords: Islamic Ornamentation, Traditional Islamic Art, Contemporary Art, Islamic Architecture.