Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Hena Khan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Interesting genre issues here. The book is clearly intended to present an insider's definitions of Muslim concepts. The device of presenting each fact through a color has the feel of a nursery rhyme, but not any one in specific. Khan's sense of rhythm is convincing this way. Amini's illustrations are unique in style with a textured background for each image, and an airbrushed look as well as hints of collaged cloth and photography. But I think this is all computer drawn. I can't say exactly why, and the end sheets don't say anything about the art process. Text colors, placement, and font sizes all done by Amelia May Mack, graphic designer, emphasize each featured concept on each page.
Not knowing much about Islam, I wondered as I read the book about the question of presenting images of people. In particular, I remember reading about hotel and travel brochures for companies having all the people extracted from them for publication in Saudi Arabia. The aniconist principle in Islam is more widely interpreted than I thought, but when the wikipedia article started naming off examples of exceptions I recognized how it works. It's worth a look!
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