Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The beauty of Islamic geometric designs, and the breathtaking skill of the craftsmen who created them, are admired the world over. The intricacy and artistry of the patterns can seem almost beyond the powers of human ingenuity.

In this handsomely illustrated volume, artist and teacher Eric Broug analyses and explains these complex designs for the first time in their historical and physical context. His own original drawings accompany magnificent photographs of mosques, madrasas, palaces and tombs from the Islamic world, ranging from North Africa to Iran and Uzbekistan, and from the 8th to the 19th centuries.

The creators of these patterns were usually anonymous and there is little evidence for their working practices, but a close and detailed study of the designs can tell us much. Combining wide-ranging empirical research with his own artistic skills and sensibility, Eric Broug shows how, over the centuries, craftsmen were able to adorn beautiful buildings with wonderful geometric patterns using the simplest of tools and without recourse to mathematical calculations. Design elements created from straight lines and circles were placed in grids and then repeated and varied to generate seemingly limitless arrays of dazzling patterns.

Chapters are devoted to each of the main 'families' of geometric design - fourfold, fivefold and sixfold - and to the complex 'combined' patterns. Every design is carefully explained, and illustrated with a wealth of stunning photographs and clear, meticulously detailed drawings.

Readers can follow the design processes by which these patterns were created and even learn to reproduce and invent geometric patterns for themselves, using exactly the same tools as the Islamic craftsmen of old: a ruler and a pair of compasses.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Broug (Broug Ateliers, Ltd.; Islamic Geometric Patterns) has written an extremely effective and thorough work on the geometric designs found throughout Islamic art and architecture and the process by which these designs were created. The author focuses on process and does not assign meaning to symbols or motivation to craftsmen, giving step-by-step instruction on how to replicate many of the patterns discussed. Large, full-color, high-quality photographs of these designs in situ are complemented by the author's illustrations highlighting the elements of the design. The text is written in a clear, concise style that will be accessible to anyone interested in the topic. This work will inspire many artists and designers and will illuminate the research of many art and design historians. VERDICT A well-written, well-thought-out, and extremely well-illustrated work. Enthusiastically recommended to any library serving customers interested in art, architecture, art history, decorative arts, design, and/or history.--Jennifer Naimzadeh, -Richland Lib., Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

In Islamic Geometric Design, Broug (Ateliers, UK) offers readers an exemplary and detailed practitioner account of Islamic pattern design. Although historical contextualization abounds throughout, formal analysis organizes the book into chapters about basic design principles, grids and polygons, fourfold geometric design, fivefold geometric design, and combined geometric design. The emphasis on form and on the process of Islamic pattern making, instead of symbolic intentionality, makes this pedagogical exercise unique in its contemporary relevance. A full how-to section is offered in the appendix. Consistent with the book's pedagogical intent, the lush photographic images are accompanied by a visualized formal analysis that gives the patterns conceptual depth. This demonstration of a traditional artistic process presents a fascinating approach to art history as active practice instead of abstract interpretation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. L. Banu Purdue University