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Full-Text Articles in Art and Design
Geometry: Drawing From The Islamic Tradition, Carol Bier
Geometry: Drawing From The Islamic Tradition, Carol Bier
Carol Bier
Getting students involved in careful observation and analysis and encouraging their exploration of cultural forms of expression is an excellent means of introducing mathematical ideas. Geometric patterns abound in Islamic art and architecture. Exhibiting great ingenuity over the centuries, Muslim artists and craftsmen created beautiful patterns to adorn architectural monuments and exquisite objects. The Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in India offer the most famous examples of extraordinary patterns using brick and glazed tile, or carved and inlaid marble. Other examples of patterns are made using metal, wood, and fiber. Students may gain conceptual and theoretical understanding of …
Mathematical Aspects Of Oriental Carpets, Carol Bier
Mathematical Aspects Of Oriental Carpets, Carol Bier
Carol Bier
The mathematical principles of pattern making according to symmetrical repetition are well-known today, but the mathematical aspects of pattern formation have been glossed over in the study of Oriental carpets, or neglected in favor of either an appreciation of color and form or a discussion of social and ethnic origins. This article seeks to address several mathematical aspects of Oriental carpets, which are both integral to their form and manifest in their visual make-up.