Which art tradition avoids iconography and emphasizes geometric patterns?

• A. Pop Art
• B. Islamic Art
• C. Aboriginal art of Australia (Papunya)
• D. New York School of the 1940s

Answer: (B)

Aniconism, or avoiding representations of living beings, paired with a strong emphasis on geometric patterns is a hallmark of Islamic art. In many Islamic contexts, depictions of religious figures are avoided, so artists turn to precise geometric tessellations, interlacing motifs, and calligraphy to create intricate designs. These repeating geometric structures—stars, polygons, and arabesques—evoke order and the sense of the infinite, and they’re especially prominent in architecture, tiles, and decorative arts. Because of this focus on non-figurative ornament, this tradition best fits the description.

Pop Art centers on recognizable images from popular culture and consumer goods, not on avoiding iconography or on geometric repetition. Aboriginal Australian Papunya art uses symbolic motifs and storytelling through dot patterns and landscape imagery, which involves iconography and narrative. The New York School’s Abstract Expressionism emphasizes spontaneous, gestural mark-making rather than disciplined geometric patterns.