Rethinking Islamic Art

In post-September 11th America in post 9/11 America, where culture has been a battlefield with conflicting ideologies as New York City is precariously placed as the epicenter of it all, Islamic art is in trend once again. But this time, it’s not the difficult and ambiguous territory of contemporary art being advertised as an unfathomable glimpse into the souls of Muslims It is Islamic artwork in its historical sense. It is the architectural and art that developed through the centuries of dynastic rule across West, Central, and South Asia, across the Mediterranean and all the way to North as well as Sub-Saharan Africa (although not necessarily in the same order). The history that is usually covered under the heading “Islamic art” began in the seventh century and includes the first grouping of Muslim societies under the successors of Prophet Mohammad and concludes with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire amidst its demise in the First World War. Although it has been studied in connection with the fall and rise of Islamic rule over a large geographic region, a clear concept for “Islamic art” is not clear even among scholars of the present.

In this context in this context that The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened and changed the name of its galleries to showcase Islamic art, with the name: Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia. The galleries were shut down just prior to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 (although it appears that the timing was not coincidental) The Met has invested eight years , and forty million dollars rehabilitating and expanding the galleries. The department that houses the museum’s collection of Islamic art is believed to have conducted research, restored a number of pieces as well as rethought the curatorial perspective that 1,200 of its 12,000 artifacts are displayed for the general public. As a result, the department believes that it’s responding to the recent shift in research that is beginning to reconsider Islamic art the past.

The highlights of this collection have been divided into 15 galleries that correspond, partly, to the present current geography, with a focus on specific regions to which Islam was introduced under the Caliphates. But this doesn’t necessarily change the way that Islamic art is examined in Western academia , despite the Met’s claim the new gallery are examining current debates about the topic. Each gallery displays artworks or objects that bear the hallmarks of of the most renowned designs and methods that came into existence in the period when the aesthetics of Islamic art was embraced by certain areas over the course of 13 centuries. In certain instances, such as in the gallery showing Ottoman art from the Ottoman era (1299-1923) ceramics textiles, calligraphic and textile works are a visual record of the evolution and change of styles as they were influenced by local cultural practices. Some, like the galleries of Mamluk Egypt as well as Syria (1250-1517) the galleries concentrate on a particular item or material such as the enameled and gilded lamps utilized to create striking effects in interiors, in a strange way, is more important than artifacts that may represent more significant achievements in the history of aesthetics like the development of architecture in the urban context, in which exteriors were integrated into the landscape of culture.

The galleries are arranged in a somewhat chronological order (periods and regions often coincide due to passing of techniques, trends and even craftsmen amidst different Dynasties) Visitors have choice of accessing the permanent exhibit via several access points which include the museum’s section that focuses on the 19th century European painting. The idea is that each space is stocked with enough to offer a range of Islamic art’s most fundamental features. These types are typically considered to include geometric designs, calligraphy and highly stylized representations of fauna and flora. Architecture and the delineation of secular and sacred space by way of arrangement and the ornamentation of buildings is also important, because the construction of buildings is often relied on the visual dynamism of words, abstract geometric and floral patterns. The galleries of Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia the specifics are showcased under a broad classification where art is frequently interspersed with visual culture with no distinction between artifacts and functional objects. of art, resulting in the enigma of what exactly is Islamic art?

If we follow the standard art history, which states that aesthetics can be defined by the visual elements that emerged within the geographical or social characteristics of a particular time and place and the first stage of delineating Islamic art is to determine how the aesthetic was created in the first in the first place. What are the essential elements that make up Islamic art? What are they? What is the reason behind them? every visual thing is it that Islamic art make use of representation? What are the goals of this representation and what can it be targeted towards the audience? The next set of issues could look into the history of the development of this aesthetic throughout space and time in order to communicate or expression of creativity. What was the way Islamic art employed? What impact on society did it have after it was beginning to gain traction? What changed in time? Who was accountable for these changes and how?

A large part of the current debate on what qualifies within the realm of Islamic art is based on the fact that a lot of these questions are unanswered by the institutions that are positioned as guardians of this information. The art world is becoming more global and new art centres in countries such as Hong Kong and Dubai redirecting the attention of the art market an emphasis is being put on the contemporary art scene beyond the traditional fringes that are part of the West. In the end, this means an expansion and revision of prior scholarship, as the majority of the progress in Western the study of art has relied on the demand for information that arises when art is considered an item of value. This has everything to do with government policies and foreign policy, to be precise. Many critical comments have been made during the last decade about the motives, effects and the packaging of this research, and exposing what it actually is. But one of the most significant outcomes from this shift in debate is that the very people being carefully studied are now becoming vocal by voicing their opinions in the redefining of scholarship. This has proved to be devastating for the Euro-American style of art history, since the dominant notions are being examined.

In a conference held in Amsterdam in the spring of this year, historians, curators and artist were invited to discuss and brainstorm the benefits of showing Islamic Art in the Netherlands to help educate the Dutch public about Islam and its role in modern culture. The purpose of “Presenting the ‘Islamic’ Arts in a Modern Context,” which was organised through Messis Foundation Messis Foundation, was to discuss ways that galleries and museums can help in bringing “art of Islamic culture” to the contemporary audience. Since the beginning this conference that featured talks given by the curators of The British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, many discussions were focused on beginning to establish a clear concept that would define Islamic art. Since this was a source that caused a lot of disagreement between experts from different areas of the field that ranged from the non-profit sector of culture to the most prestigious international institutions, it was a clear indication of the actual conflict between the current ways of looking at the representation of cultural art as well as the numerous outdated methods of art historical research. One of the themes that recurred throughout during the symposium was the necessity to research and explain the fundamentals of Islamic art.

The Met’s newly renovated galleries as a reference point is it possible to comprehend Islamic art as an acceptable aesthetic within a historical context using these lenses of institutionalization? An examination of the way in which the objects and artworks are displayed will help us understand the perspective of the Museum’s Islamic arts department planned this new installation.

As an example, a prelude in that Safavid (1501-1722) type of architectural style, for that this Iranian city Isfahan is famous is illustrated by a striking 14th century mihrab found in The Madrasa Imami. It is decorated with white and blue polychrome-glazed tiles, its intricate arabesques and evocative muhaqqaq kufic as well as thuluth writings function as focal points for direction. Since every square inch of the mihrab is covered with intricate designs geometric patterns, they complement the broad curvatures and lines of Quranic inscriptions as well as excerpts of the Hadith (the Prophet’s words). This harmonious arrangement is the perfect illustration of the way Islamic art was designed to instill the sense of wonder among people of all faiths and visually reaffirming the overwhelming awe of nature as evidence of the beauty of God. The use of vegetation could be understood as a reminder of the promises of paradise which is stated in the inscription which surrounds the niche’s semicircle. In the galleries of the Met, the mihrab is featured as the main piece of the permanent exhibit that is stylistically distinct to the artwork made during the times in Moorish Spain (711-1492) as well as that of the Ottoman Empire that are exhibited in the adjoining rooms. The mihrab is distinct in terms of mood, palette in design, style, and form in comparison to its counterparts in the Iznik ceramics and Moroccan courtyards that are located only a few steps away. It is a compositional mess, but the outer border and central arch is in complete harmony with the book art and weaving art which are displayed in the vicinity.

If this kind of visual continuity is evident in the department’s art as well as objects, and readily observed by the observer this is because that’s how it happened in the past when forms were adopted and refined by successive craftsmen and artists. While the exhibits are stunning throughout, the area where the Met does not succeed is in the description of these works as well as Islamic art in general since the galleries are lacking any explanation of what each visual component is in relation to the context of aesthetics and spiritual realm that influenced it.

To the well-informed observer, this may be observed in intricate patterns that emphasise symmetry the cyclical character of the universe, as well as the nature of the universe as the center of geometric forms from which lines that are equidistant be derived and to where they will return. The intricate repetition of these forms which we see as an essential characteristic of Islamic art comes from a sophisticated use of math. When they expand exponentially from one source to create stunning designs, the idea of endless creation is a direct religious undertones. The application of calligraphy through it’s gradual conversion of texts into visual, frequently reaches a abstraction, which eschews representation completely, referring to things that are intangible like the transcendental. While this type of symbolism was initially utilized in a context of religion but the reach of the aesthetics was swiftly expanded to include visual culture in the creation of everyday objects. It didn’t necessarily diminish the original meaning of the word when carried out in accordance with its formal and representational characteristics.

So when we talk about that Islamic Golden Age (750-1258) during which philosophy, science and poetry interacted and flourished under the influence of Islam We can also examine Islamic architecture and art as concrete evidence of its contribution. While the works displayed in the galleries of the Met show the amazing beauty in Islamic arts, without the information , the visitor is left to believe that the intention behind it is only decorative. In its descriptions of the works and introductions to specific periods that the department focuses on, it tends to concentrate more on specific techniques, such as the advances developed in glaze ceramics, enameling glassware, as well as the specific material used to create the objects. While workshops or artists are recognized at times however, there is a deficiency of greater interest in their artistic merit and significance they may have played in advancing the aesthetic.

A common method of highlighting artworks is to highlight the patronage that influenced them when they were made. This is emphasized by works that were created as direct declarations of monarchy, such as”The “Tughra of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent” (1555-60), that was crafted by an artist who was a employee of the Ottoman bureaucracy. It was used as an authentic letterhead to signify documents. Thus, even though the structure of galleries based on areas and dynasties could have importance in locating artworks within a historic context, but the primary subject of this new installation is the display of Islamic art as a symbol of power. Patronage is more important than artistic creativity regardless of the existence of documents that show the huge quantity of freedom and improvisation the work that craftsmen and artists were allowed to create. The aesthetic beauty in Islamic artwork and the sophisticated efforts at understanding the world by using abstraction are completely destroyed. What this means is that it separates it from the throngs of works and periods that are seen as a major breakthrough within the wider world of cultural trends. Despite the long time Islamic art spans as an ongoing movement that mirrored and sometimes intersected with international counterparts, its repute is typically reserved to European artists and institutions. While Islamic art was acknowledged and utilized by the most renowned European modernists from the beginning of the 20th century this reductionist view of the field has been in place for decades.

The Met’s gallery of Orientalist painting that serves as the physical connection between 19th century European painting and Islamic art, is fitting in this respect. A docent at the preview for the new galleries described the location of these Orientalist paintings as “a amazing juxtaposition.” Although the paintings of Gerome (1824-1904) as well as his contemporary artists represent the concept that of an “exotic different” from an Western perspective The museum sees these paintings as significant historical documents. The actual origins of the department’s reverse reading of Islamic art is found in paintings made from European artists who were working for several centuries prior to the time of Gerome.

Some of the earliest artifacts of Islamic art to be brought to Europe were discovered in the 11th century. The pottery was used for decoration of Romanesque cathedrals in Italy the pottery was part of a vast list of highly valued “goods” which were traded throughout an extensive network of trade that connected Islamic Dynasties of in the Mediterranean and their European counterparts. Since these dynasties were on the same (if not more) in terms of political power as well as their cultural domain, they drew the interest of the top levels in European society. Although they were occasionally utilized in diplomatic exchanges it was the creation of an industry for these items that led to a major collection craze in the early years, when carpets, vase, crystal, ceramics jewelry, and other metal objects became very sought-after (and popular). When the demand for these “consumer products” increased throughout Europe as well as their association with Muslim societies transformed into the appropriation of their design and their representation in European visual and art cultural practices of the time. Though they were valued as belongings however, what was lost during the process of transport (and possibly because of Europe’s long-standing history of ethnicity) was the real value and meaning of aesthetics. It was the Crusades (1095-1291) were able to strengthen (if not to amplify) the political aspects of this relation to Islamic art. By the time the retaking of Spain was concluded at the end of 1492, acquisition of these artifacts was typically seen as a symbolic emancipation of power. This was reflected in the priceless works being placed in the property in European churches.

The fascination with Islamic art lasted into the sixteenth and seventeenth century in which European painters often included artisanal craft into their compositions of figurative art. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) is one of the most famous German painter who contributed in his time in the Northern Renissance, frequently depicted his subjects in the context of ceramics or carpets such as the ones that resemble Ottoman and Mamluk pieces that are in the collection of the Met. Nowadays, it’s not common for art historians and museum curators (including museums like the Met) to use the term “Holbein carpets” to refer to certain Anatolian weavings by calling them “Holbein carpets.” These works are classified as scholarship in accordance with what European artists who employed the looms as still-life elements doesn’t even begin to explain the severity of this crime. There are other instances when the most renowned works in Islamic art are described not according to their aesthetics or even the painter who painted them , but instead by reference to the renowned European collector who owned them.

The Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ revamping of its galleries to exhibit Islamic art is a continuation of this complicated story. The majority of the pieces displayed are the exact types of “goods” that came into Western consciousness as the result of the dual-edged interactions that Europe was able to have to”the “Islamic world” at the height of its dynasties. In the captions the department takes great care to highlight what they consider to be the “lavish,” “sumptuous,” and “superb” features of these objects, which brings to mind the style that is “documentation” which is the mainstay in the market for antiques. In essence, nothing is different since the 13th century.