ARTH 6331 - Topics in Islamic Art

(crosslisted)
(also MEDVL 6331 , NES 6731 )

One of the most widespread misconceptions concerning Islamic art is that it is governed, above all, by prohibitions against the representation of living beings. This perception, while to a degree grounded in Qur’an, hadīth and praxis, particularly where religious works of art are concerned, has traditionally impeded the consideration of whether—and, if so, how—the sacred is visualized in an Islamic context. This course will begin by considering the foundations of the “no representations” myth, and will then move to the examination of a number of case studies which test the boundaries of this presumption, specifically in a religious or devotional context. Material considered will be mostly medieval, and will include both written primary sources—sacred texts; commentary; poetry; mystical writings and critics thereof—and visual material, including architecture, luxury objects and manuscript illumination. Though there are no official prerequisites, some prior exposure to Islamic art would greatly enrich students’ experience, as would previous courses in NES, or knowledge of Arabic or Persian.