Philosophy and Geometry in Islamic Art & Architecture Outline John Crawford 10/31/2012 I. Introduction a.

The most apparent feature of the Islamic visual language is the great degree of symmetry present in art. The development of this aesthetic, however, is unclear and largely contested among scholars. b. State purpose of paper of exploring the development of geometry and how that relates to both Late Antique philosophy as well as a developing local interpretation of philosophy of architecture. c. Reject Terry Allens argument that geometry and the aesthetic preference came from Islamic civilization proclivity for geometry, ignorant of Late Antique and Ancient philosophy. d. Thesis: While some scholars argue against the influence of Late Antique philosophy on Islamic aesthetics, scholars almost completely separate aesthetics and philosophy as two distinct ideas which results in a failure to understand an additional level of influence and development in the visual language. Instead we must think examine the dialogue between philosophy and aesthetics in the Islamic theatre to obtain a better understanding of the civilization. II. What do we mean by Philosophy in this context? a. Begin with examining how buildings from early Islam took from aesthetic preferences of the Late Antiquity. b. Discuss how from a historic perspective there was a growing interesting in mathematics, science and ultimately philosophy at the time. c. Examine trends in early Islam and how they combine the visual language with the purpose of the architecture. III. Mutzila a. Explain what it is, why its important. b. Discuss the historical relationship between the Abbasid Caliph and the Mutzila school of thought.

c. Note Mutzila thoughts on aesthetics, how this might have impacted the architecture. d. Conclude that Islam was dealing with these philosophical ideas and, unlike Allens argument, there is clear relationship between aesthetic preferences, power and philosophy. III. The Role of Geometry and the Aesthetic a. Visit Necipoglus arguments from Geometry and Ornament b. Engage with her four principal arguments as noted by Allen a. b. c. d. Master artisans were well versed in mathematics Mathematicians were developing new patterns The influence of neo-Platonic philosophy The development of the aesthetic taste for geometry

c. Explain what the implications of these claims are critique the intensity of these claims but maintain that the geometry is used to evoke some kind of aesthetic experience. In the case of geometry and ideas of perfection this is the mosque. IV. The Role of Geometry as an Aesthetic and Philosophy a. Examine the development of geometry from Late Antiquity onwards b. Analyze the use of geometry across different caliphates (Ummayad, Abbasid, Fatamid) i. Compare Damascus, Khirbat to Baghdad to Al-Aqmar (or some combination like this) ii. Use these analyses as the opportunity to show that while aesthetic preferences are changing, so too is the role of the caliph, the role of architecture and the meaning/experience of certain buildings. iii. Through architecture, the visual language and building purpose do we come to see a new philosophy being reached c. Compare the use of geometry across the caliphates and note how while their understanding of math and geometry was evolving with time and understanding. i. Why is this important? ii. This is important because as the architecture evolves, so too does the philosophy, so too does the experience of living in these cities, and it is important to understand on a more complex level, how the aesthetic experience dictates one experience in a given space or time.

V. Conclusion a. Revisit main arguments for: a. Philosophy of Late Antiquity b. Mutzila c. Geometry argument d. How this all fits together within the caliphates b. Hammer that the development of geometry is not just the development of aesthetic preference, but instead there is complex relationship between geometry, architecture and philosophy which are tied together through history and as a product of architecture itself. c. This is a complex idea, but an important one which helps shape our understanding of not only understanding the progression of the visual language and aesthetics of Islamic society, but also in understanding how the geometry and architecture is supposed to shape peoples experience. That is, understanding the purpose of a building, underscored by the architecture and aesthetic, will help people to understand what life might have ben like under a caliph. What the social atmosphere could have been like. Etc. d. Architecture, philosophy and Geometry (Mathematics) are all distinct, but together they can help us better understand multiple spheres of the Islamic world. Bibliography 1. Glru Necipolu, The Topkap ScrollGeometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture: Topkap Palace Museum Library MS H. 1956, Santa Monica, 1995. 2. Terry Allen, Islamic Art and the Argument from Academic Geometry Solipsist Press, Occidental, California, 2004 3. Sphaic Omar, Islamic Architecture: Its Philosophy, Spiritual Significance and some Early Developments AS Noordeen, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2009 4. Ess, J. V. (2006). The Flowering of Muslim Theology. USA: Harvard University Press. 5. Erwin Neuenschwander, Reflections on the Sources of Arabic Geometry Bd. 72 H.2 (1988) pp. 160-169 Published by: Franz Steiner Verlag 6. Grabar, Oleg. "Geometry and Ideology: The Festival of Islam and the Study of Islamic Art." In Islamic Art and Beyond, volume III, Constructing the Study of Islamic Art.

7. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006. First published in A Way Prepared, Essays on Islamic Culture in Honor of Richard Bayly Winder, edited by Farhad Kazemi and R. D. McChesney (New York and London: New York University Press, 1988), pp. 145-52. 8. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy, SUNY Press, 2006