Islamic figurative art

Rageh Omaar explores the history of Islamic figurative art. As the rulers of the Islamic world grew more powerful, some wanted art to reflect their lives in court and in private. However, figurative art was prohibited under Islam and artists faced a dilemma between upsetting the religious clerics and incurring the wrath of the Emperor. So, as a means of a compromise, Islamic artists produced strictly stylised one-dimensional artwork, using form and colour in a particular way to avoid perspective, shadowing and naturalistic representation.