Feb 24

Feb 24 "Jordan Aesthetics: Architecture & Nature" by Amna Al Obaidi

During my semester abroad in Jordan, I was fortunate enough to take an Islamic Traditional Arts class. This course taught me to see the beauty in nature, in geometry, and in symmetry. Art, as we were taught, can go beyond the conventional canvas and brush outlook, but rather can take many forms. This includes beauty in nature or in the magnificent tilework and detail in mosques, buildings, and ceilings. And, most importantly, the precision of Islamic Art taught us to find the beauty in the calculated steps of geometric art. The way that circles and lines can create such incredible structures … The profound geometric detail in a flower and its petals, in a honeycomb, or in sequence and in numbers. Art is all around us. We just must slow down and notice it.

And, Jordan, with its intricate architectural art and magnificent landscapes, is a hub for practicing this visual awareness and research.

Below I have compiled a list of examples that merge the beauty in Jordanian nature and the architectural art that we were taught to look for and note during our stay abroad. Hopefully that you, as well, can start to have a new sense of appreciation for geometry in art, and to notice this type of art all around you – whether you are abroad or in your home country.