Art and Architecture in the Islamic Tradition: Aesthetics, Politics and Desire in Early Islam (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)

What is ""art"" in the sense of the Islamic tradition? Mohammed Hamdouni Alami argues that Islamic art has historically been excluded from Western notions of art; that the Western aesthetic tradition's preoccupation with the human body has meant that Islamic and Western art being perceived as inherently at odds. However, the move away from this ""anthropomorphic aesthetic"" in Western art movements, such as modern abstract and constructivist painting, have presented the opportunity for new ways of viewing and evaluating Islamic art and architecture. Drawing upon classical Arabic literature, philosophy, poetry, medicine and theology, along with contemporary Western art theory, the author uncovers a specific Islamic theoretical vision of art and architecture based on poetic practice, politics, desire and the ""gaze."" In so doing, he addresses the lack of recognition given to early Islamic thought and aesthetics in comparison with other historical periods and traditions. What is'art'in the sense of the Islamic tradition? Mohammed Hamdouni Alami argues that Islamic art has historically been excluded from Western notions of art; that the Western aesthetic tradition's preoccupation with the human body, and the ban on the representation of the human body in Islam, has meant that Islamic and Western art have been perceived as inherently at odds. However, the move away from this'anthropomorphic aesthetic'in Western art movements, such as modern abstract and constructivist painting, have presented the opportunity for new ways of viewing and evaluating Islamic art and architecture. This book questions the very idea of art predicated on the anthropocentric bias of classical art, and the corollary'exclusion'of Islamic art from the status of art.It addresses a central question in post-classical aesthetic theory, in as much as the advent of modern abstract and constructivist painting have shown that art can be other than the representation of the human body; that art is not neutral aesthetic contemplation but it is fraught with power and violence; and that the presupposition of classical art was not a universal truth but the assumption of a specific cultural and historical set of practices and vocabularies. Based on close readings of classical Islamic literature, philosophy, poetry, medicine and theology, along with contemporary Western art theory, the author uncovers a specific Islamic theoretical vision of art and architecture based on poetic practice, politics, cosmology and desire. In particular it traces the effects of decoration and architectural planning on the human soul as well as the centrality of the gaze in this poetic view - in Arabic'nazar'- while examining its surprising similarity to modern theories of the gaze.Through this double gesture, moving critically between two traditions, the author brings Islamic thought and aesthetics back into the realm of visibility, addressing the lack of recognition in comparison with other historical periods and traditions. This is an important step toward a critical analysis of the contemporary debate around the revival of Islamic architectural identity - a debate intricately embedded within opposing Islamic political and social projects throughout the world. Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Arabic Characters 13 Acknowledgements 14 1. Introduction 16 Architecture and Poetics 31 The Aims of this Book 42 2. Architecture and Meaning in the Theory of al-Jahiz 48 Architecture and Meaning: Al-Jahiz's view 53 Aesthetic, Variety and Emotion 62 Voice, Body and Emotion 63 Al-Bayan, Architecture and commemoration 70 3. Architecture and Poetics 78 Modus Operandi 81 Al-Khalil's Theory of language 85 Arabic Poetics 89 The Palace and the Qasida 136 4. Architecture and Myth 144 Hadithu Sinimmar 144 5. Al-Jahiz in the Mosque at Damascus: Social Critique and Debate in the History of Umayyad Architecture 174 Yaqubi's Account 179 Muqaddasi's Account 179 Architecture and Hospitality 186 Umar II: Architecture and Piety 193 6. Architecture and Desire 204 'Architects' or Architectural Planners 207 The Desire for Architecture 216 Architecture and Misrecognition 227 The Travelling gaze: Ibn al-Jahm's Eulogy of the Place al-Haruni 229 Building, Reflection and Emptiness 239 7. Conclusion 242 Notes 250 References 284 Index 296 9781848855441 I.B. Tauris Mohammed Hamdouni Alami argues that Islamic art has historically been excluded from Western notions of art; that the Western aesthetic tradition's preoccupation with the human body, and the ban on the representation of the human body in Islam, has meant that Islamic and Western art have been perceived as inherently at odds. However, the move away from this 'anthropomorphic aesthetic' in Western art movements, such as modern abstract and constructivist painting, has presented the opportunity for new ways of viewing and evaluating Islamic art and architecture