Arabesque is an art subordinated to the rules of geometry

Arabesque is an ornament that appeared in the Middle Ages on the territory of the Islamic East. In the bizarre interweaving of the pattern, sacredness, mathematics and art are harmoniously associated. Arabesque, the photo of which is presented below, decorated almost any surface. Such patterns covered the walls and vault of mosques, they were weaved during the weaving of carpets, placed on jewelry and ceramic vessels. Arabesque, having reached its heyday in the East, conquered Europe. In the Renaissance, the famous masters used it to create their masterpieces.

Features of Islamic Art

In the East, there were special conditions for the development of ornament. The Koran prohibited the depiction of animals and people. The Prophet Muhammad tried to protect the people from the possibility of resorting to pagan beliefs by such a law. Especially strictly this rule is observed to this day when decorating religious objects and buildings.

The emergence and development of arabesques has become a kind of response to such a ban. All the imagination, all the talent of the masters resulted in the creation of bizarre patterns, combining plant elements, geometric ornament and calligraphy. The latter, by the way, has become a kind of replacement of icon painting. Quotations from sacred texts, written out with various calligraphic styles, decorated the books and walls of mosques. Often in addition to them, arabesques were also drawn, with their bends and curls similar to beautiful and bizarrely curved letters.

Eastern arabesque as geometric art

The ban on the image of living beings led to the fact that masters of the Islamic East turned to geometry. Arabesque is an ornament consisting of repeating elements, intertwined with one another and diverging in different directions. It is characterized by a clear rhythm, matched with mathematical precision. Arabesque became the embodiment of geometry in art.

The individual element represented a whole and complete pattern. Each following elegantly intertwined with the previous one, repeating it and at the same time creating something new. Ornament could end at any time - its integrity from this did not suffer. This property contributed to the widespread use of arabesques. Patterns adorned the walls, ceilings and arches, fabrics, carpets, metal and clay products.

Features

Arab arabesque, despite its geometric accuracy, was not boring. The mathematical approach did not deprive the ornament of artistic value. Arabesque contained both geometric elements and plant. Flowers, buds, stems and leaves intertwined, creating a continuous carpet or leaving room for a new pattern. A distinctive feature of Islamic art is the so-called fear of emptiness. Ornament covered the surface, leaving no room for the background. This feature reflects the religious beliefs of Muslims about the "tissue of the universe", which is endlessly continuing and has no end.

Arabesque as a meditative image

Arabesque - an ornament rhythmic and fascinating. When looking at the repeating elements it is easy to drown in this sea of interwoven patterns. And because arabesque is a great tool for meditation. It dispels attention in a special way, forcing to forget about the vanity of the external world and to plunge into the inner world. Ornament was often part of the interior decoration of mosques. Here his meditative function helped to focus on prayer, forgetting about earthly affairs.

Arabesque in Europe

In the era of the Renaissance, Europe's ties with the Arab world increased significantly. Together with many other knowledge from Muslim countries, the artistic achievements of the East also came here. Arabesque became an element of the fine arts of Europe. It was used in his creations by Leonardo da Vinci. The master devoted a fair amount of time to drawing intricate patterns.

Ornaments, similar to arabesques, are present in the paintings of Durer and Raphael. Many masters of the Renaissance and later periods drew inspiration from the patterns that covered Muslim art objects.

Inexhaustible source of creativity

Arabesque (photo is given in the article) fascinates both contemporary artists and masters of the last century. The modernists of the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries applied to it. Arabesque inspired Aubrey Beardsley, who lived and created at the end of the century before last. Geometry in the form of elegant ornaments was also loved by the Danish graphic artist MS Escher.

Today arabesque is a pattern still popular. Now, more often than not, this name is denoted by a floral ornament. Geometric pattern is called "sea". Ornaments that resemble medieval arabesques can be found on wallpaper and in the decoration of buildings, in the works of graphic artists and artisans. They are inspired by modern interior designers and fashion designers, jewelry makers and decorators.

Fashionable today in the visual arts, zentangle and dudling are remotely reminiscent of ornamented Arabian mosques and carpets. It is not difficult to find fabrics in our time that fascinate you with your drawing. The bizarre interweaving of plant patterns, subordinated to a single rhythm, is nothing but the same arabesque, rooted in the distant Middle Ages. It can be safely said that now this ornament has become an integral part of world art, while remaining at the same time a characteristic feature of the culture of Muslim peoples.