Islamic Aesthetics: An Introduction

by Oliver Leaman

Overview

It is often argued that a very special sort of consciousness went into creating Islamic art, that Islamic art is very different from other forms of art, that Muslims are not allowed to portray human beings in their art, and that calligraphy is the supreme Islamic art form. Oliver Leaman challenges all of these ideas, and argues that they are misguided. Instead, he suggests that the criteria we should apply to Islamic art are identical to the criteria applicable to art in general, and that the attempt to put Islamic art into a special category is a result of orientalism.

Leaman criticizes the influence of Sufism on Islamic aesthetics and contends that it is generally misleading regarding both the nature of Islam and artistic expression. He discusses issues arising in painting, calligraphy, architecture, gardens, literature, films, and music and pays close attention to the teachings of the Qur’an. In particular he asks what it would mean for the Qur’an to be a miraculous literary creation, and he analyzes two passages in the Qur’an—those of Yusuf and Zulaykha (Joseph and Zuleika) and King Sullayman (Solomon) and the Queen of Sheba. His arguments draw on examples from history, art, philosophy, theology, and the artefacts of the Islamic world, and raise a large number of difficulties in the accepted paradigms for analyzing Islamic art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268033699
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	07/30/2004
Edition description:	1
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Oliver Leaman is professor of philosophy at the University of Kentucky.

Editorial Reviews

"This is certainly an important and thought-provoking work, one of the few that is willing to treat seriously the topic of aesthetics in Islam. As such, this book provides an important corrective to much of what has been written about art in various Islamic contexts over the past century." —The Journal of Religion

“Oliver Leaman is a very distinguished, internationally regarded scholar of philosophy. . . . His profound philosophical knowledge enables him to apply and analyze concepts of aesthetics to a multitude of art forms.” —Ian R. Netton, University of Leeds

“This is a useful and imaginative project . . . Leaman is an accomplished and productive author and the book will be of genuine and considerable interest.” —Lenn E. Goodman, Vanderbilt University

“A non-judgement, technical, in-depth discussion, and a welcome contribution to art history and artistic interpretation shelves, whether for private study or college libraries.” —Wisconsin Bookwatch

"For students of Islamic arts, the book provides a corrective to biases generally found in literature. Although hardly an introductory level textbook, despite its title, Leaman's work provides a thoroughgoing and accessible account of the role of aesthetics in Islam while at the same time dismantling many of the cherished myths of scholarship on Islamic art forms." —Sixteenth Century Journal

From the Publisher

Oliver Leaman is a very distinguished, internationally regarded scholar of philosophy. . . . His profound philosophical knowledge enables him to apply and analyze concepts of aesthetics to a multitude of art forms.

Ian R. Netton

This is a useful and imaginative project . . . Leaman is an accomplished and productive author and the book will be of genuine and considerable interest.

Lenn E. Goodman

For students of Islamic arts, the book provides a corrective to biases generally found in literature. Although hardly an introductory level textbook, despite its title, Leaman’s work provides a thoroughgoing and accessible account of the role of aesthetics in Islam while at the same time dismantling many of the cherished myths of scholarship on Islamic art forms.

Sixteenth Century Journal

This is a useful and imaginative project and clearly fills a need… Leaman is an accomplished and productive author and the book will be of genuine and considerable interest.

Professor Lenn E. Goodman

... although it claims to be but an introduction to the subject, it is an engaging and comprehensive one, with up-to-the-minute, primary sourced chapters on literature, music, the Qur'an and medieval philosophies of seeing, not to mention the four on the visual arts.

Simon O'Meara

Oliver Leaman is a very distinguished, internationally regarded scholar of philosophy… his profound philosophical knowledge enables him to apply and analyse concepts of aesthetics to a multitude of art forms.

Professor Ian R. Netton

This is certainly an important and thought-provoking work, one of the few that is willing to treat seriously the topic of aesthetics in Islam. As such, this book provides an important corrective to much of what has been written about art in various Islamic contexts over the past century.

The Journal of Religion

A non-judgmental, technical, in-depth discussion, and a welcome contribution to art history and artistic interpretation shelves, whether for private study or college libraries.

Wisconsin Bookwatch