Visual Culture in the Islamic World: traditional and contemporary perspectives

As part of the minor course dedicated to artistic expressions and forms of communication in East Asia and in the Arab world, this course will deal with those aspects related to the visual culture of the Islamic world, with a thematic approach, between tradition and contemporaneity.

The student will acquire knowledge and skills that will allow him/her to focus on the characteristics of the visual culture of the Islamic world, and understand the complexity of the present, between tradition and innovation.

The course does not require specific competences.

This course will illustrate the process of formation and evolution of visual culture in the Islamic world, with a thematic approach. It will discuss relevant chapters of this with specific reference to painting. More specifically, it will deal with the following themes: the image in the Islamic world, between tradition and contemporaneity; the formation of a new visual culture in the Islamic world; the traditional artistic production at the major courts; modernity, between colonialism and orientalism; the contemporary world.

Selected chapters from:
Sh. Blair, J. Bloom, The Art and the Architecture of Islam 1250-1800, Yale University Press 1994
R. Ettinghausen, O. Grabar, M. Jenkins-Madina, The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250, Yale University Press 2001
Christiane Gruber, Images of the Prophet Muhammad: Brief Thoughts on Some European-Islamic Encounters, in Seen and Unseen. Visual Cultures of Imperialism, edited by Sanaz Fotouhi and Esmaeil Zeiny, Leiden e Boston 2018, pp. 34-52
M. Hattstein, P. Delius, Islam: Arte e Architettura, Gribaudo 2004-2007
Robert Irwin, Islamic Art in context, New York, 1997, pp. 167-191
Silvia Naef, La questione dell’immagine nell’Islam, Milano, 2011
Silvia Naef, L’iconicità dell’Islam contemporaneo: forme di rappresentazione e comunicazione, in R. Tottoli (a cura di), Islam, vol. III di Le religioni e il mondo moderno, Torino, 2009, pp. 642-664
N. Shabout, W. Al-Khudhairi, D. Chalabi, Sajjil. A century of modern art, Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art (in Arabic and English), Skira, Milano, 2010

Other selected references will be provided for every lecture

At the oral examination the student will be required to illustrate the topics treated in the course, with the help of images.
The exam aims to verify that the student has acquired a basic knowledge of the main topics illustrated by the course, and is able to understand the complexity of the visual culture in Islam today.

Frontal lessons will be illustrated with images, available on the MOODLE e-learning platform.

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development