Incredible Resource on Islamic Geometric Design
By Eric Broug
Thames & Hudson, $75.00, 256 pages
Eric Broug has amassed a wealth of information in his book Islamic Geometric Design. The book contains six informative chapters ranging from basic design principles to grids and polygons, to fourfold, fivefold and sixfold design and more. This book explains the various patterns and designs that typify Islamic geometric design. This artistic tradition is explained and shown in great detail with examples ranging from 8th to 19th century and various countries including Morocco, China, Spain and Uzbekistan.
“Geometric design is one of the most widely recognized visual traditions from the Islamic world, yet much is still unknown about how the compositions were made and about the craftsmen who made them.”
The reader will look at the 800 illustrations and color photos with wonder and awe. Each illustration is numbered and corresponds to illustration credits at the end of the book. Explanation text accompanies each photo or drawing. The book closes with a description and drawings on how to create these geometric designs using a compass, ruler and pens with two colors. Broug begins with the simple designs, moves to the intermediate and finally the complex. These depictions truly break down the designs so that the reader can see how the designs were created. There is also a thorough glossary. This reviewer was most impressed with the dome designs, which are stunning and magical given the difficulty creating the designs on a curve. This is a book you will pore over repeatedly as you educate yourself on the bronze, wood and tile compositions that are truly works of art.
Reviewed by Seniye Groff
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