This course opens with art history, aesthetics and criticism: how Muslims have thought about beauty and making, and how to look at and judge a work of art. It pairs that with studio work in drawing, painting, Islamic geometric art and mixed media. Across a three-year rotation, each year stands on its own and produces finished work. The course ends in a curated portfolio and an annual exhibition.
Free Enrollment
FREE
Unit 1: Art History, Aesthetics & Criticism
Year 1 · Islamic Aesthetics: A Theological Framework
Year 1 · Studio Response: Aesthetics Put to Work
Year 2 · Art Criticism: Islamic and Western Frameworks
Year 2 · Critique in Practice: A Work and Its Own Analysis
Year 3 · The Islamic Arts Across Civilisations: A Visual Survey
Year 3 · One Tradition, Practised
Unit 2: Drawing Foundations
Year 1 · Advanced Figure Drawing: Structure and Anatomy
Year 1 · An Anatomical Study Carried to Finish
Year 2 · Portraiture: Psychological Depth
Year 3 · Architectural Drawing: Interior Space
Unit 3: Color Theory & Painting
Year 1 · Advanced Oil Painting: Direct and Indirect Methods
Year 1 · A Painting in Both Methods
Year 2 · Colour Theory: Advanced Colour Relationships
Year 2 · A Painting Built on One Colour Relationship
Year 3 · Oil Painting: Original Figurative or Landscape Work
Unit 4: Islamic Geometric Art & Pattern
Year 1 · 12-Fold Geometry: Advanced Compass Construction
Year 1 · A 12-Fold Pattern, Executed
Year 2 · Geometric Arabesque: Interlace and Infinity
Year 3 · Original High-Complexity Geometric Commission
Unit 5: Mixed Media & World Art Traditions
Year 1 · Contemporary Muslim Artists: A Critical Survey
Year 1 · A Work in Answer
Year 2 · Art and Identity: Personal Manifesto Project
Year 3 · Collaborative Mural: Ummah and Diversity
Unit 6: Portfolio & Projects
Year 1 · Diwani Calligraphy: Cursive Mastery
Year 2 · Portfolio Curation: Capstone Exhibition Preparation
Year 3 · Reading a Body of Work
Year 3 · Capstone Portfolio and Artist’s Rationale
Every Year · Capstone Exhibition: Public Opening
