ARTH 369 Studies in Middle Eastern Art and Architecture: Islamic Art

• Wednesdays, 11:45 am-14:15 pm
• Course delivery TBA
• Instructor Dr. Claudia Polledri

This course is an introduction to the material culture of the Islamic world, from the origins of Islam to the present day. The course is articulated around three main axes. First, we will establish a definition of “Islamic art” and analyze it according to cultural and religious implications (Grabar; M.K. Shaw). Second, we will focus on selected moments, monuments, and objects in different regions, from the Arab Middle East and North Africa and Spain, to Iran, Central Asia, and Turkey, and consider the relationship of the visual arts to the history and geography of each region (Ettingshausen, Grabar, Madina; Blair and Bloom). Third, we will explore the link between past and present by asking: How do contemporary artists from the Arab and Iranian world reinterpret “classical” motifs from Islamic Art? How “Islamic” is Contemporary Islamic Art (Naef; Gruber, Haugbolle)? The course will end with a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal and the Islamic art collection and the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion (Art of One World). This will be an opportunity to reflect on the role played by the museum in the dialogue between historical Islamic art and contemporary art. The course will end with a visit to Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal and the Islamic art collection and a part of Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion (Art of One World).