About our abstract painting series

The culture of the Muslim world has developed a very specific type of ornamental design, which is grounded in the religious demands of Islam. The visual language of Islamic design employs a variety of intricate geometric patterns, floral elements and ornate calligraphy, all of which are used to decorate manuscripts, textiles, furniture, buildings, etc. AL HAMRA contemporary art projects presents a diverse collection of abstract paintings, ranging from simple and elegant elements to complex and highly ornate interlocking patterns, based mainly on Islamic artworks from the palaces and fortress of Alhambra, built in the Middle Ages for emirs of the Nasrid Emirate or Kingdom of Granada, to the traditional tile ornamentations in Moroccan old cities:

Arrayanes shadows and reflections, is a painting series based on the ceramic baseboard walls of the Patio de los Arrayanes (the Myrtles Court) pavilions in the Alhambra of Granada, which combines on canvas: colour, abstraction and geometry.

Examples of this series catalogue:

(Oil on canvas: Measurements 195.00 cm wide x 114.00 cm height)

Zillij art collection, is a tribute or homage to the modernity of a craft tradition by centuries, developed by the Muslim art in al-Andalus and al-Maghrib territories in the times of the cultural influence of Andalusian Nasrid Emirate from Granada.

Examples of this series catalogue:

(Oil on square canvas: Measurements 120.00 cm wide x 120.00 cm height)

Qatib art collection, is a painting series on monochrome background, based from the ceramic pieces of straight lines (Arabic Qatib) or broken lines (Qatib 'uy) used by Muslim craftsmen who created the most famous tiled traceries and lattices for covering floors, ceilings and baseboard walls of the Alhambra’s palaces in Granada and another heritage  sites.

Examples of this series catalogue:

(Oil on square canvas: Measurements 80.00 cm wide x 80.00 cm height)

Furmah art collection, is a painting series based on the elementary polygonal pieces (squares, stars, rhombuses, …) which composed the geometric design of zellige tile patterns in the Andalusian or Moroccan Muslim ceramic decorations. These small pieces, called ‘furmah‘, are manufactured, still today, by specialist artisans in a complex crafted process with origins in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East interlocking sheets tiles knowledge.

Examples of this series catalogue:         

(Oil on canvas: Measurements 162.00 cm wide x 130.00 cm height)

Jatm art collection, is a painting series based on a singular piece around which seems to revolve geometric composition of ceramic tiles that we can found in the main Spanish-Muslim ornamentation of the Alhambra in Granada or also in the North African Maghreb colourful zelliges, called the "ring" or Jatm, a star of eight points formed by the intersection of two squares, which usually combines with equal arm crosses finished with pointed ends, known as Daqmar sûm (moonlight).

Examples of this series catalogue:

(Oil on canvas: Measurements 130.00 cm wide x 97.00 cm height)

And monochromatic series with variations in grey, yellow, red, green and blue:

Click on images to enlarge. 
For more information about each series, look for the catalogue links in the right column.