FURMAH: a new painting series

AL HAMRA contemporary art projects present a new oil painting series, on large size canvases of 162 x 130 cm, based on the elementary polygonal pieces (squares, stars, rhombuses, …) which composed the geometric design of zellige tile patterns in the Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim decorations from heritage buildings and monumental sites. These small pieces, called ‘furmah‘, are manufactured by four different specialist artisans in a complex process that begins by the production of the raw material:  The ceramic. The first step to obtain ceramic is to mix clay and water and letting it soak for a day. After this it gets kneaded by hands and feet to a high flexibility and homogeneity. Finally it is cut into 10 cm squares, 10-15 mm thick. The clay squares are sun dried before being first baked in a traditional oven. Later they get one side stained and returned to the oven for a final baking.

The Racham artisan traces the shape of each tile on the ceramic square by using a brush or pen. After this the Kassar artisan cuts the tiles with a very sharp chisel. Once they have the shaped tile, begins the finest and most delicate phase, which is handled by the Khallas artisan. He cuts the bottom edges without touching the glazed surface, finishing this way the tile. The union of the tiles is made by their wedge shape, where the vitrified face appears the tightest possible, while the natural face keeps little spaces between each tile, allowing the cement to penetrate through. The Farrach artisan draws the mosaic picture and places each tile face down according to the predefined design. Now he covers this side with a cement, water and sand mixture. A few days later the mosaic can be moved and the artisan proceeds to its final grouting and cleaning.

These artisans, mainly in Morocco, excel in assembling individual hand cut tiles or furmah in very intricate geometric patterns, to achieve their amazing mosaic works that can be used on any surface, from floors to walls, to furniture and pools... To this day, they still pass on this great knowledge, with origins in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, to the next generation.

Now, from AL HAMRA contemporary art projects, we want to show a large selection of our newest collection FURMAH, a geometric abstract paintings inspired on these interlocking sheets of Moroccan-Andalusian tiles:

Click on the image to enlarge

(To see more paintings of this series, click on Furmah art collection link)

Islamic mosaic and geometry

The term ‘mosaic’ usually refers to a decorative art form where the image (two dimensional, flat or curved) is constructed using small coloured pieces of glass, stone, tile, ceramics, or some other material. In the context of this exposition, we adopt a somewhat narrow, but more appropriate meaning. We think of a mosaic as a decorative or art form where a certain recognizable pattern (sometimes called a matrix) is repeated in two dimensions. The important part of the definition is the requirement that the iterations of the pattern occur in two dimensions i.e., in two distinct directions, such as horizontal and vertical.

Formalizing this intuitive idea of a mosaic, we obtain the corresponding mathematical concept: a tiling. To form a tiling means to cover a plane with various geometric forms (such as polygons or shapes bounded by curves – so-called ‘tiles’) in a way that leaves no gaps (the whole plane is covered) and does not allow for overlaps (the tiles cannot be partially of fully placed on top of each other). Sometimes the word ‘tesellation’ is used in lieu of ‘tiling.’

We think of mosaics in the way they were meant to be viewed and thought about – as infinite extensions of the pattern that is actually shown. Being exposed to a small part, we contemplate the whole. The word ‘plane’ in the mathematical definition represents that two-dimensionals, unbounded surface where the mosaic extends (‘unfolds’).

Although mosaics can be identified among the artifacts created by people in almost every culture, past or present, nobody has designed and used them with the skill, knowledge and sophistication of the artisans and artist working in the Islamic World (mostly between 10th and 16th centuries AD). The key of our understanding of this phenomenom lies, perhaps not surprisingly, in geometry.

There are several reasons why geometry played and important role in the Islamic world. First of all, geometric forms, patterns and configurations provided a desired level of abstraction. Islam being a non-figurative religion, its theologians selected geometry as a medium of conveying images of God.

Secondly, geometry was viewed as a force capable of unifying the domains of the secular and the religious: ‘the study of sensible geometry leads to skill in all practical arts, while the study of intelligible geometry leads to skill intellectual arts because this science is one of the gates through wich we move to the knowledge of the essence of the soul, and that is the root of all knowledge.’ (From the treatise Rasai ’il, by scholars belonging to the Ikhwan Al-Safa or Brotherhood of Purity. 9th and 10th centuries AD.).

Finally, intricate knowledge of properties of geometric objects (such as lines and circles) and sophisticated computational skills became essential for the development of astronomy. Accurate astronomical observations were employed in the production of almanacs and calendars, for time-keeping, and as a tool of navigation (at sea, and on land, especially in large deserts).

Geometric patterns can be found, in Islamic world, virtually everywhere: in tile mosaics, friezes and other wall ornaments, arabesques, coffered ceilings, floors, carpets, manuscripts, wooden carvings, doors, screens, executed in a variety of media (tiles, bricks, marble, wood, brass, paper, plaster, glass, etc.).

Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art (2)

Geometric patterns make up one of the three nonfigural types of decoration in Islamic art, which also include  calligraphy  and vegetal patterns. Whether isolated or used in combination with nonfigural ornamentation or figural representation, geometric patterns are popularly associated with Islamic art, largely due to their aniconic quality. These abstract designs not only adorn the surfaces of monumental Islamic architecture but also function as the major decorative element on a vast array of objects of all types. While geometric ornamentation may have reached a pinnacle in the Islamic world, the sources for both the shapes and the intricate patterns already existed in late antiquity among the Greeks, Romans, and Sasanians in Iran. Islamic artists appropriated key elements from the classical tradition, then complicated and elaborated upon them in order to invent a new form of decoration that stressed the importance of unity and order. The significant intellectual contributions of Islamic mathematicians, astronomers, and scientists were essential to the creation of this unique new style.

Consisting of, or generated from, such simple forms as the circle and the square, geometric patterns were combined, duplicated, interlaced, and arranged in intricate combinations, thus becoming one of the most distinguishing features of Islamic art. However, these complex patterns seem to embody a refusal to adhere strictly to the rules of geometry. As a matter of fact, geometric ornamentation in Islamic art suggests a remarkable amount of freedom; in its repetition and complexity, it offers the possibility of infinite growth and can accommodate the incorporation of other types of ornamentation as well. In terms of their abstractness, repetitive motifs, and symmetry, geometric patterns have much in common with the so-called arabesque style seen in many vegetal designs. Calligraphic ornamentation also appears in conjunction with geometric patterns. 

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 is clear, however, that the complex patterns found on many objects include a number of different shapes and arrangements, allowing them to fit into more than one category.

Image: Polychrome marble mosaic (114.9 cm x 58.4 cm). First half of 15th century. Egypt

The red, white, yellow, green, and black marble elements form a mosaic of geometric patterns based on five and ten pointed stars. This style of wall decoration was used especially in the interiors of mosques and is typical of early fifteenth-century taste.

The Art of the Nasrid Dynasty (1232–1492)

Founded by Muhammad I ibn Nasr ibn al-Ahmar (1232–73), a military leader from the Jaen region, the Nasrid dynasty ruled Granada and neighbouring territories of Malaga and Almeria in the southern Iberian Peninsula. The early period of Nasrid rule was characterized by insistent pressure from Christian armies from the north, which successfully conquered Valencia, Jativa, and Jaen and made the Nasrids tribute-paying vassals in 1243. The Nasrids formed tentative alliances with the Marinids of the Maghrib and kept uneasy peace with their Christian overlords. Despite its precarious political situation, for over two and a half centuries Granada served as a great cultural center of the Muslim West, attracting leading scholars and literati of the day. Severe political crises in the Maghrib in the fifteenth century, combined with the union of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon through the marriage in 1469 of Ferdinand and Isabella, whose avowed mission was the expulsion of the Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula, proved to be the downfall of the Nasrids. The last Nasrid ruler, Muhammad XII (called Boabdil by Spanish historians), was exiled to the Maghrib on January 2, 1492. The termination of Nasrid rule also brought to an end almost 800 years of an Islamic presence on the Iberian Peninsula.

During the fourteenth century, the Nasrid sultans dedicated themselves to the decoration of their splendid palaces. Their most singular artistic achievement was the famous Alhambra (al-Qal’a al-Hamra), or the red castle, so-called perhaps because of the color of the walls and towers that surround the citadel. Situated on al-Sabikah, a hill overlooking Granada, the Alhambra was conceived as more than a well-fortified palace—it was a royal city. The creation of a succession of Nasrid rulers, in particular Ismail I (1314–25), Yusuf I (1333–54), and Muhammad V (1362–91), the Alhambra was a powerful image for a waning monarchy, a vast stage set for the diminishing power of the last Muslim rule on the peninsula. Work on the palace-city continued for nearly two centuries; the resulting architectural complex, with its intricate succession of rooms and courts, its rich interior facades, and its numerous gardens, fountains, and watercourses, is one of the most magnificent examples of Islamic architecture. 

Nasrid arts grew from Almohad traditions but displayed far more variety and splendor than their precursors. Textiles recall the rich interior settings of the Alhambra. Also important are ceramics overglaze-decorated in luster, a technique dating back to ninth-century Iraq and dispersed to many parts of the Islamic world. Initially lusterware was manufactured in Malaga, Murcia, Almeria, and possibly Granada, but by the fifteenth century, Manises, near Valencia, supplanted Malaga as the main center of luster production. These Spanish luster-painted wares, whether produced under Muslim or Christian patronage, had an important impact on the ceramic industry of Italy, where they gave rise to the development of maiolica. The finest military arts that survive from al-Andalus are also from this period; the Nasrid’s luxury arms, which were probably never used in battle, offer examples of a rich craft used to support a public image.

Islamic art in Spain had its final flowering under the Nasrid Dynasty in Granada, who continued to commission luxury objects as well as establishing a tradition of lustre ceramics that would continue in Mudejar art. After the fall of the Nasrids, Western Islamic art continued in the Maghreb, where traditions like the unique Maghrebi script and geometric ornament provided inspiration for centuries.