Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach

by Keith Critchlow

A philosophical and interpretive analysis of the geometrical patterns of Islamic art, explaining their inseparability from mystical mathematics and, with the aid of nearly two hundred drawings, their reflection of the cosmological laws affecting all creation

Genres: Art, Islam, Philosophy, Design, Mathematics, Religion, Theology

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1976

About the author

Dr. Keith Critchlow is the cofounder of the journal Temenos, as well as the author of numerous books on sacred geometry, including Order in Space and Time Stands Still. He is Professor Emeritus at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London, and a former professor of Islamic Art at the Royal College of Art. Prof. Critchlow, a leading expert in sacred architecture, also founded Kairos, a society that investigates, studies, and promotes traditional values of art and science.

Prof. Critchlow's contributions to World Wisdom's books on sacred art include such pieces as his forewords to Titus Burckhardt's extraordinary work Chartres and the Birth of the Cathedral and the compilation of Burckhardt's writings on Christian art in general, The Foundations of Christian Art: Illustrated (edited by Michael Fitzgerald), which won a Gold Midwest Book Award and a Silver Benjamin Franklin Award. In addition, Keith Critchlow wrote a foreword to the book of Frithjof Schuon's writings on sacred art, Art from the Sacred to the Profane: East and West (edited by Catherine Schuon).

from worldwisdom.com

Reviews

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely dense and very rich. There aren't many step-by-step instructions, but high-level discussion of extremely complex patterns. Makes a good follow up to "Islamic Geometric Patterns" by Eric Broug. Throws you in too deep for a starting point, but great for the next level of understanding.

[Amy Qualls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically, low rating because it was not what I hoped for. The cosmological stuff did nothing for me; I am more interested in practical applications of the design. Was grateful I got this book through interlibrary loan; it is perfect for someone, just not for me.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took the library over 3 months to get this book. I has assumed they lost my request. Just flipping through, it looks so delicious! Geometrically, that is.

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Through this tradition, Islamic art has maintained its chief aim: the affirmation of unity as expressed in diversity."

beautiful work

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

don't understand most of what this book is saying, as it's extremely scholarly and complex, but somehow i feel it is very authentic. hope to learn more about it.

[Sharon Wildwind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Worked on it for six weeks and learned to draw a lot of difficult geometrical figures.

[Farhana Faruq · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information is fascinating, however I found the 'presentation' a little dull. It would have also been nice to see actual works of art.

[Aneel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting diagrams, but a lot of weird cosmological material that I'm not really keen on.

[F. Zahra Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a brilliant scholarly work on the Islamic Geometrical Patterns by Keith Crtichlow.

[Conandrei gab]

good

[Jennpants · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Book. Is. Amazing.