A Skin to Live in: Geometric Parietal Paintings in the Residential Architecture of al-Andalus

Abstract

Andalusi residential architecture is often described through planimetry or its internal constructive materiality. However, the real architectural vision of those who inhabited or visited Andalusi palaces or houses was completed by an important decorative epidermis that covered the structural materials and gave these Islamic buildings their final visual impact. Traditionally, the three-dimensional stone and plaster ornamentation has been the most analysed; the pictorial decoration that widely covered plinths has rarely been studied as a whole, despite the numerous remnants documented in recent decades. In this work, we propose a holistic and synthetic approach to this decorative architectural element, from its technical elaboration to its role in the three-dimensionality of Andalusi residential spaces. We also address its influences and its aesthetic evolution over the centuries.