Islamic school of Art

Muslims follow Madhhab; these are Islamic school of thought or (figh) religious jurisprudence. There are four; the Hanafi, the Maliki, the Shafi’i and the Hanbali.

In the art world there are also schools of art according to style or a movement as belonging a particular group of artists. These artists have a common influence or origin. It is not a physical school but reflects the style of art around that time.
Islamic art is not easily recognizable because Muslims vary from nation to nation except if it is traditional in nature; e.g. Arabic calligraphy or the architecture of a Masjid.
But the one feature which would indeed unify Muslim artists would be the belief that to draw realistic images of people and animals are forbidden. Also not only to create these images but also the way that they are used. Still with the vast array of media and medium it would be difficult for all contemporary Islamic art to look the same. My guess is that it would also reflect the culture of the artist, his style, the medium he uses, the influences which are endless and so much more.
It would be extremely interesting to see what an actual Islamic Art School would be like. Well there's a link to a traditional school .
http://www.psta.org.uk/index.php?n=Main.Homepage
This one in Pakistan seems more secular than Islamic.
http://www.nca.edu.pk/index.htm

Islamic Art teaches Math

Many Islamic artistic expressions were done in intricate patterns and exquisite geometric designs. Math is the tool that is used to create such beautiful eyefuls.Today many are using this most famous aspect of Islamic art to teach algebra, geometry and calculus of Math in classrooms and colleges. It provides an exciting medium to an otherwise “boring” topic. Radial, symmetry and tessellation can provide an easy way for students to learn about these concepts in Math.

You can check out this book;Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art (Paperback)by Issam El-Said (Author), Ayse Parman (Author)

Links to check out how it is done.1. http://www.collegenews.org/x4595.xml2. http://homeschoolmath.blogspot.com/2007/02/geometric-patterns-in-islamic-art.html3. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/news/summermath.shtml4. http://www.artteacherconnection.com/pages/anrtandmath.htm5. http://mtcs.truman.edu/~thammond/history/Art.html6. http://www.vam.ac.uk/school_stdnts/schools_teach/teachers_resources/maths/index.html

Prayer Mats

Images can be very influential and no where is that more obvious than when I am praying. First I make sure that my environment is clean, I make wudu, check my clothes to see if they are clean and cover me well. Then I lay down my prayer mat and pray. Easy right?

Well sometimes concentrating can be hard and ever so often my mind wonders, especially if my kids are around. But even before I had kids, work and a job there was something that bothered me some what. You see, when I am looking down and trying to think about my Lord, the prayer mat stares back at me! And it might not be a pretty face I see.

Am I nuts? Mats with eyes? Well…at first I felt a bit funny. Growing up we prayed on a large soft brown carpet with no designs. But as I got older and would sometimes pray by myself I would use the prayer mats made for one person. These mats have a lot of designs. The designs do not have realistic images of people or animals. In fact the designs are mostly of Islamic themes and pictures. These pictures might have the Kaaba or a holy place.
The thing is that when one stares long enough at these mats one can actually see faces. These “faces” usually make “ugly looks” and would sometimes make me jump. But now I don’t have that problem. I have found that it used to bother me. Alhamduillah now I just have to concentrate on my prayer and not the imaginative "creatures" staring at me. I see enough of that when I look in the mirror.