This entry sits within the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub indexing design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
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Artisitic Decoration
The arabesque design is a decorative art form used widely in art, architecture, and design history. In simple terms, arabesque design refers to surface decoration made from flowing, repeated lines. These lines often form scrolling plant shapes, leaves, or abstract curves. As a result, the patterns feel continuous and balanced. In many cases, designers combine these forms with geometric shapes or calligraphic details to create visual harmony.
More specifically, arabesque design appears as painted, carved, or inlaid flat decoration on borders, panels, and building surfaces. The arabesque pattern usually includes linked floral and geometric shapes, such as scrolls, branches, and leaves. Originally, this form developed in Spanish Islamic art during the Middle Ages. Over time, it spread across Europe. By the sixteenth century, arabesque design had become a key decorative style in architecture, ceramics, textiles, and interior design.
Sources
Dizik, A. A. (1988). Concise encyclopedia of interior design. Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, June 22). Arabesque. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:55, July 30, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arabesque&oldid=1029792008
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