Modern art Styles and Digital Technology in Developing Contemporary Islamic Murals

Islamic architecture is one of the most important features in the Islamic culture as it is the discipline that manifests that heritage in tangible form. It should be, therefore, one of our main concerns as professionals working in the field to bring the sparkle of this unique style back to the contemporary scene. One of the most significant art approaches that commonly integrate with famous architectural styles is mural painting/design. However, Islamic architecture does not seem to embrace murals as one of its significant features. The Muslim architect rather used the value of Islamic decorative patterns and motives to decorate the surfaces and facades of his buildings. The author argues that Islamic art including Islamic patterns and Arabic calligraphy has significant visual potentials that merit further implementations in modern Islamic architecture particularly in developing contemporary Islamic murals. This paper will not, however, argue for an approach based entirely on models from the past. Instead, it addresses the potential that contemporary mural paintings/ designs might add to Islamic traditions; by using both digital technology and contemporary art styles to perform a contemporary Islamic architectural features. For although there is little evidence to suggest that murals have been a significant feature in the Islamic architecture in the past this paper concludes that production of contemporary murals will be important for establishing a flourishing contemporary Islamic architecture.