{"product_id":"the-mediation-of-ornament","title":"The Mediation of Ornament","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow ornamentation enables a direct and immediate encounter between viewers and art objects  Based on universal motifs  ornamentation occurs in many artistic traditions  though it reaches its most expressive  tangible  and unique form in the art of the Islamic world. The Mediation of Ornament shares a veteran art historians love for the sheer sensuality of Islamic ornamentation  but also uses this art to show how ornament serves as a consistent intermediary between viewers and artistic works from all cultures and periods.  In this richly illustrated book  Oleg Grabar analyzes early and medieval Islamic objects  ranging from frontispieces in Yemen to tilework in the Alhambra  and compares them to Western examples  treating all pieces as testimony of the work  life  thought  and emotion experienced in one society. He defines ornaments as agents that are not logically necessary to the perception of a visual message but without which the process of understanding would be more difficultthey in fact often draw us into a work by strengthening the pleasure derived from looking at it.  A classic work by an acclaimed art historian  The Mediation of Ornament explores four particularly influential forces on the development of ornament: writing (calligraphy)  geometry  architecture  and nature. It is essential reading for admirers of Islamic art and anyone interested in the ways of perceiving and understanding the arts more broadly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44952289050677,"sku":"ByrdShop_0691001561","price":78.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780691001562.jpg?v=1770157834","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-mediation-of-ornament","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}