ISLAMIC-INSPIRED

Despite its strong associations with Islamic art and architecture, and its origins in ancient tendril ornament long preceding Islam, arabesque’s cultural roots were poorly understood—and often overlooked—by many Europeans well into the nineteenth century. Gradually, a new historical awareness prompted artists, architects, and designers to seek out the sources of many different ornamental styles. Among the most enterprising of these was the Englishman Owen Jones, whose lavishly illustrated Alhambra (1842) and The Grammar of Ornament (1856) became essential design sourcebooks for European theorists and practitioners. The patterns included there, removed from their historical and architectural context, lost much in translation. Although carrying tremendous potential and allure for European artists, adaptations of arabesque motifs resulted in cultural elisions that largely, if not completely, ignored local contexts, original meanings, and spiritual beliefs.

Featuring an essay by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, Arabesquetraces the role of this curvilinear decorative motif through a variety of styles and media in European art. An elegant companion to the exhibition, this sixty-four-page softcover publication includes fifty-seven color illustrations highlighting objects from the show and their influences.