We take a look at Ruqaya Albeaty's Islamic art that she's been working on during lockdown.
Islamic art is rich in history and has been around for more than 1300 years. It's not used merely to describe religious art or architecture but it applies to all art forms produced in the Islamic world, It covers a wide range of lands, periods and genres.
Geometric and Vegetal design repetitions are very popular and can also be seen adorning buildings, a great example being the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
This use of geometry is thought to reflect the language of the universe and help the believer to reflect on life and the greatness of creation. Circles have no end they are infinite - and so they remind Muslims that Allah is infinite. Complex geometric designs create the impression of unending repetition, and this also helps a person get an idea of the infinite nature of Allah.
I asked Ruqaya how she went about leaning this art form;
"As part of Islamic culture, rather than use statues as decor within buildings or places of worship they use motifs with geometric patterns and plant based designs to decorate their buildings. Others use Arabic calligraphy stating paragraphs of the holy books (Quran ) in worship places.
A few years a go I started doing some sketches and it was only last year that I began to focus on my artwork a little more. Through resources on the internet and YouTube videos I started to study the origin and the different styles of Islamic art.
I'm a civil engineer so the attention to detail in the motifs is my main inspiration, I love the idea of using mathematical equations and numbers in the geometric shapes to create beautiful art work. The symmetry, the reflection and the repetitive pattern all reflect my personal character and I really enjoy the use of vibrant and elegant colours especially Blue, Maroon, and Gold"
Thank you to Ruqaya for sharing her beautiful art work, If you would like to be part of our blog please contact us at admin@westburyartscentre.co.uk.