In post-September 11th America the culture of post-September 11 America is now a battlefield with conflicting ideologies in the wake of 9/11, and New York City is precariously situated as the epicenter of this conflict, Islamic art is in trend once again. However, this time it’s not the tangled and ambiguous territory of contemporary art being claimed to be an insight into the elusive souls of Muslims It is Islamic artwork in its historical sense. It is the design and the art of architecture which developed over the course of centuries of dynastic control across West, Central, and South Asia, across the Mediterranean and then down to North as well as Sub-Saharan Africa (although not necessarily in the same order). The period of time that is typically covered by the heading “Islamic art” starts in the 7th century, with the first grouping of Muslim societies under the successors of Prophet Mohammad and concludes with the fall of the Ottoman Empire amidst its demise in the First World War. Although it has been examined in relation to the development and decline of Islamic rule over a large geographic area, a precise description for “Islamic art” isn’t clear, even among modern scholars.
In this context in this context that it is against this backdrop that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened and changed the name of its galleries to showcase Islamic art, with the heading: Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia. It was shut down shortly before the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 (although it appears that the timing was not coincidental) The Met has spent the last 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, made repairs to several works and revised the curatorial perspective that 1,200 of its 12,000 artifacts are displayed in the open to all. As a result, the department claims that it’s responding to the recent shift in research that is beginning to reconsider Islamic art the past.
Highlights from this huge collection are divided into 15 galleries that correspond, partly, to the present current geography, with a focus on the particular areas in which Islam expanded under the Caliphates. But this doesn’t necessarily differ from the standard ways that Islamic art is studied in Western academic circles despite the Met’s assertion the new gallery will be examining current debates about the issue. Every gallery exhibits works or objects that represent of of the most renowned forms and styles that developed in the period when the aesthetics of Islamic art influenced certain areas over the course of 13 centuries. For instance, in the gallery showing Ottoman art of the Ottoman period (1299-1923) ceramics as well as textiles and calligraphic work are a visual record of the growth and evolution of styles as they were influenced by local culture. Some, like the galleries dedicated to Mamluk Egypt as well as Syria (1250-1517) the galleries concentration on one particular type of item or material such as the gilded and enameled glass lamps utilized to create stunning effects on interiors in a strange way, is more important than objects that could be a sign of more significant achievements in the historical context of aesthetics, for instance, the evolution of architecture in an urban environment, where exteriors were integrated into the landscape of culture.
The galleries are arranged slightly chronologically (periods and regions often be overlapping due to passing of techniques, trends or even the work of artisans in different periods of dynasties) Visitors have an option to access the permanent exhibit via several ways and even the museum’s area that focuses on the 19th century European painting. The concept is that every room is comprised of a variety of Islamic art’s most fundamental features. The forms are generally considered to include calligraphy, geometric design and highly stylized representations of fauna and flora. Architecture and the delineation of secular and sacred spaces by way of design and decoration of structures is also important, because the construction of buildings is often relied on the visual dynamism of writing word, the geometric abstract and patterns of the vegetal. In the galleries that exhibit Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia These specifics are showcased under a broad classification where art is frequently interspersed with visual culture and there is a lack of distinction between artifacts and functional objects. of art. This leads to the enigma of what exactly is Islamic art?
If we follow the standard art history, which states that aesthetics are distinguished by the visual elements that developed within the geographic or social characteristics of a particular cultural context at the time and the first step in delineating Islamic art is to determine how the aesthetic developed in the first initial place. What are the essential elements that make up Islamic art? What does it mean? What is the reason behind them? every visual thing can Islamic art make use of representation? What are the goals of this representation, and how could it be directed towards the audience? The next set of questions 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 utilized? What social impact was it able to have once it was beginning to gain traction? What changed in time? Who was the main factors behind these changes, and how?
The current debate on what qualifies into the category of Islamic art is based on the fact that a lot of these questions remain unanswered by the institutions that are positioned as curators of this information. The world of art has finally become global and new art centres in cities such as Hong Kong and Dubai redirecting the spotlight of the art market the spotlight is now being put on contemporary art that is not confined to the borders that are part of the West. This is, in turn, an expansion and revision of prior scholarship, as the growth in Western culture has relied on the demand for information that arises when art is seen as an item of value. This has everything to do with the policies of the government and foreign policy, to be precise. Many critical comments have been made in the last decade about the motivations, implications and the packaging of this interest, revealing what it truly is. But one of the most significant results of this reorientation of debate is that the very subject matter being carefully studied are now starting to speak up by voicing their opinions in the redefining of scholarship. This has proved to be devastating for the Euro-American style of art history as prevalent notions are examined.
In an international 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 educate the Dutch populace about Islam and its role in the contemporary world. The goal of “Presenting Islamic Art in a Modern Context,” which was held 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. At the start this conference that featured lectures of curators and experts from museums such as museums like the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the focus of discussion was beginning to establish a clear concept for Islamic art. When this became a matter of contention among a variety of experts from different areas of the field that ranged from the non-profit sector of culture to major international institutions it was a clear indication of the actual conflict between the current methods of the representation of cultural art and the various outdated approaches of art historical research. One of the themes that recurred throughout at the event was that of having to research and explain the fundamentals of Islamic art.
The Met’s newly renovated galleries as a reference point and a starting point 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 provides insight into the context that the Met’s Islamic arts department designed this new installation.
A good example is the precursor in this Safavid (1501-1722) design by that this Iranian city Isfahan is famous is illustrated by a striking 14th century mihrab that was found in The Madrasa Imami. It is decorated with white and blue polychrome-glazed tiles, the intricate arabesques, muhaqqaq and colorful muhaqqaq kufic and the thuluth scripts function as focal points of direction. Because every square inch of the mihrab is covered with intricate designs geometric patterns, they complement the broad curvatures and lines of Quranic inscriptions and passages of the Hadith (the Prophet’s statements). This harmonious arrangement is an excellent illustration of the way Islamic art was designed to instill an awe-inspiring feeling in both believers and non-believers and visually reaffirming the vast awe and wonder of nature as evidence of the magnificence of God. The use of vegetation could be seen as a reference to the promise of paradise , which is outlined in the inscription which surrounds the inner semicircle of the niche. The Met’s galleries are where the mihrab is featured in the center of the permanent exhibit and stands stylistically in opposition to the artwork created during the period that comprised Moorish Spain (711-1492) in addition to in the Ottoman Empire that are exhibited in adjacent rooms. The mihrab stands out in terms of mood, palette in design, style, and form in comparison to it’s counterparts, 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 works of the art of the book as well as weaving art which are displayed in the vicinity.
If this kind of visual continuity is apparent in the department’s works and objects , and is easily noticed by the observer it’s because it is the way it was observed throughout history in the way that forms were taken and refined by a succession of artisans 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 generally, because the galleries lack any discussion of what every visual component is in relation to the framework of the aesthetic and spiritual realm which influenced it.
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To the well-informed person, this is seen in intricate designs that emphasise symmetry, the cyclical aspect of existence, as well as the nature of the universe as the center of geometric forms that equidistant lines originate and from where they will return. The intricate repeating of these patterns which we see as the most fundamental characteristic of Islamic art stems from the use of advanced math. When they expand exponentially from a single source to amazing designs, the notion of endless creation is a direct religious undertones. The application of calligraphy and the gradual reduction of written text to picture-like, often achieves a abstraction, which eschews representation entirely, and speaks of 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 extended to the visual arts and the creation of everyday objects. This did not necessarily alter its original meaning if applied in line with its formal and representational characteristics.
When we talk about that Islamic Golden Age (750-1258) during which philosophy, science and poetry interacted and flourished during the spread of Islam It is also possible to take a look at Islamic architecture and art as concrete evidence of its contribution. While the works displayed in the galleries of the Met show the beauty and power that is Islamic artwork, without this information , the visitor is left to conclude that the intention behind it is only decorative. In the descriptions of works and introductions to the periods that the department focuses on, it tends to concentrate more on specific techniques like the advances developed in glaze ceramics, enameling glassware as well as the particular material employed to make objects. While workshops or artists are recognized at times but there is a lack of a greater appreciation of their artistic merits and the significance they may have played in developing the aesthetic.
A common method of highlighting works is to also emphasize the patronage that influenced them when they were made. This is emphasized by instances that were ordered as direct declarations of monarchy, such as”Tughra of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent “Tughra of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent” (1555-60), that was crafted by an artist trained by a person belonging to the Ottoman bureaucracy. It was used as an authentic letterhead to signify documents. Therefore, although the arrangement of galleries according to areas and dynasties could have importance in locating the works in a contextual context of the past, the main subject of this exhibition is the representation 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 creativity the art and craft industry was permitted to create. This is why the artistic beauty that is Islamic arts and their sophisticated efforts at understanding the world by using abstraction are completely destroyed. This is what separates it from the throngs of art and times that are regarded as significant in the overall world of cultural trends. In spite of the lengthy time Islamic art spans as an ongoing movement that mirrored and sometimes intersected with international counterparts, its repute is typically reserved to European art and school. Even though Islamic art was acknowledged and utilized by the most renowned European modernists in the early years of the 20th century this reductionist view of the field has been in place for decades.
The Met’s gallery dedicated to Orientalist painting that serves as the physical connection between 19th century European painting and Islamic art works is in this respect. One museum docent who was present during the preview for the new galleries spoke of the location of these Orientalist paintings as “a stunning juxtaposition.” Although the paintings of Gerome (1824-1904) as well as his contemporary artists represent the concept that of an “exotic Other” from an Western perspective The museum sees these paintings as significant historical documents. In reality, the roots of the department’s reverse reading of Islamic art is found in paintings made from European artists who were working for several centuries earlier.
The first instances of Islamic art to be brought to Europe were discovered in the 11th century. The pottery was used as decoration for Romanesque church buildings in Italy the pottery was part of a lengthy list of highly sought-after “goods” which were traded throughout an extensive trade network which linked Islamic dynasties from in the Mediterranean and their European counterparts. Because these dynasties were placed on the same (if not superior) in terms of political power and their cultural areas piqued the attention of the upper levels within European society. While they were often employed in diplomatic exchanges, it was the emergence of an industry for these items that led to a major collection craze in the early years, when carpets, vessel crystals, pottery jewelry, and various other metal-based wares were very well-known (and popular). When the demand for these “consumer products” was soaring throughout Europe and their connection to Muslim societies also changed into the adoption of their design that were reflected in European visual and art cultural practices of the time. Though they were valued as belongings however, what was lost during transportation (and possibly because of Europe’s long-standing history of ethnicity) was the real value and meaning of aesthetics. In the course of time, Crusades (1095-1291) were able to strengthen (if not to amplify) the political facets of this relation to Islamic art, so that by the time that the reconquest of Spain was complete at the end of 1492, possession 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 continued throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in which European artists often integrated 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 during the Northern Renissance, frequently depicted his subjects with corresponding items made of brass and carpets, which included ones that resemble Ottoman and Mamluk pieces that are in the collection of the Met. Nowadays, it’s not unusual for art historians or museum curators (including museums like the Met) to casually describe some Anatolian weaving works by calling them “Holbein carpets.” These works could be classified as scholars in accordance with their European artists who used the looms as still-life elements is not enough to describe the scope of the offense. There are other instances when the most renowned works from Islamic art are described not according to their aesthetics or even the painter who painted the work, but rather as a reference to the famous European collector who owned them.
The Metropolitan Museum of Arts’ new galleries dedicated to Islamic art is a continuation of this complicated story. The majority of the works displayed are the same kinds 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 extreme care to explain 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 changes since the 13th century.
