Kassandra Olschanski

Schoolcraft College

Art History: Early Islamic Art Forms

Art and history alone are two very important subjects, and subjects everyone should be

knowledgeable about. Art is all different forms, there is so much personality and creativity when
it comes to art, it can become so individualized and unique. History is just looking back on the

past and what we know, and how this history may play a role on what we know and what we are

all doing now. When you combine the two, you get Art history. Art history is important because

art is forever changing and evolving, we can look back upon old art and the history behind it to

better help the time period it came from and to better help us understand the people living in that

time period. Art history helps for us to explain what life could have been like back then, art tells

stories, and stories sometimes words cannot tell.

We need art to help us, and looking back on the history of certain art forms, we will be

better educated upon the subject. Early Islamic art forms are something so interesting to look at,

they have such unique forms and help to tell us such great stories. A lot of people have thought

that Islamic art is just strictly religious art, which is not the case at all. There was a lot of cultural

art that also surrounded the religious Islamic art(1). Early Islamic art forms were very specific

though, they did not focus on people or animals or sculptures or unique carvings of any sort.

Their art was focused on patterns, and repeating the pattern. This of course, proves how long it

might take to create these certain art pieces. A lot of time and concentration goes into the a

patterned piece that repeats the same type of design and pattern over and over again. A lot of the

art forms were detailed, but detailed with floral patterns. Floral patterns were something

extremely common in early Islamic art forms. There was also a lot of art with geometric shapes

and patterns. Early Islamic art forms were not based on strictly their culture. The art was

influenced and impacted by many different things; for example the art developed from many

sources like Roman, early Christian art, and Byzantine were taken and used in early Islamic

art(1). Chinese influences also had a huge impact on their poetry, paintings, and
textiles(1).There were many different types of Early Islamic art forms, they varied from all

different types of things.

From calligraphy, to painting. From making rugs and carpets to the start of ceramics and

detailed ceramics. From elements of tiling, to elements of glass. All of these things also led to

metalwork, and smaller art forms like carvings and jewelry making. Precious stones like rock

crystal were also used for carving into to make different types of things(1). The term Islamic art

not only describes the art created specifically in the service of the Muslim faith (for example, a

mosque and its furnishings) but also characterizes the art and architecture historically produced

in the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or created by Muslim artists. As it

is not only a religion but a way of life, Islam fostered the development of a distinctive culture

with its own unique artistic language that is reflected in art and architecture throughout the

Muslim world. (2). This quote was too important not to share, as stated above, art is a way of

culture and ways of religion. Art and the way certain art is reflects and represents a whole

community of people, whether it is the original architecture, or the furniture in a Mosque, it all

started somewhere. These Early art forms left a huge mark and everlasting impact.

Every so often humans would be carved to represent something, there was a piece where

it was a king hunting on horseback, this was a piece analyzed and interpreted for what it was.

Another type of early Islamic art form, that is almost considered a lost art form now is carving

out of wood. This is something people still see today, but it is not as common and as likely to be

seen now, as it was back then(3). A lot of these art forms had a larger impact than the others for

examples textiles were used greatly, by so many and for a long and everlasting project. Another

art form is the architecture, buildings are admired for how they were built and for the

architecture within them now. Understanding why the buildings have the certain textiles and
architecture tones to them as they do, helps us to understand the people from that time and their

intention with these art forms(3). There was a great advancement for a specific art form in

particular which is a personal favorite, pottery. The art of pottery was greatly advanced and

focused on in the ninth century(3).

As stated before, geometric shapes played a huge role in the Islamic art forms, it was

used for designs in buildings and almost all items relating to the Islamic faith(4). These

geometric shapes were so simple, it started out with circles and squares. These are the two most

basic geometric shapes that we know, but these two shapes, there is so much that someone is able

to do with them and use them for(4). The designs on these art forms could be difficult as I said.

The four basic shapes, or repeat units, from which the more complicated patterns are

constructed are: circles and interlaced circles; squares or four-sided polygons; the ubiquitous star

pattern, ultimately derived from squares and triangles inscribed in a circle; and multisided

polygons. It amazes me how much geometric shapes had a role in all of this, and how the art

forms back then, are everlasting now. Geometric shapes are an overlooked art form, something

people do not realize is actually used in a majority of art. The Early art forms are the start of all

art forms to say it simply, the earliest ones last the longest. There is so much we can learn history

wise just by taking a look back at all the old art forms. With looking at all the old art forms, it is

clear to see our advancement now, with any type of faith in general. There is so much that has

changed from the beginning, but there is so much that stayed the same in which it was able to

shape and help us with the art forms that we all love and use today. Art is something so special,

art is something people look at and interact with everyday and knowing and understanding the

history in which it started out, is so extremely important. Early Islamic art forms, were unique

and different and good, and helped us shape what we know today as Art.
 Annotated Bibliography and Endnotes

1. "Islamic Art." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 19 Apr.

2017.
This source explained all of the difference art forms, all the different variations, all the most

common early Islamic art forms and provided me with the most information in what I needed to

help better understand the art forms

2. Art, Author: Department of Islamic. "The Nature of Islamic Art | Essay |

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

This explains the timeline of Art History, where it all started and what it all started with and how

the art has impacted us now.

3. The Islamic Art Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, LACMA.

N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

This source explains more of the art forms in detail and why they were so relevant and what they

were best used for and why we talk about them today.

4. Art, Author: Department of Islamic. "Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art | Essay |

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.

This source deeply explained the importance of Geometric patterns and designs in early Islamic

art, it explained how squares and circles were used the most because they were of course the

most common and how some of these patterns took forever because the repeated themselves and

to get a perfect pattern, you had to go slow to replicate.