An Alternative Way to Knowledge - Essay Example

“Islamic Aesthetics: An Alternative Way to Knowledge” by Erzen Erzen, in the article “Islamic Aesthetics: An Alternative Way to Knowledge”, explains how aesthetics in Islamic art is considerably different from the Western art in the effort to refute the allegation that modern art works in the Islamic culture are mere decorative works lacking in meaning and content. In order to build the argument, the scholar begins from the fact that there is visibly very little critical discourse on art and aesthetics in the Islamic world. According to the scholar, the reason why there is little critical discourse on art and beauty in Islamic world is that Islamic art is heavily dependent on Islamic culture. As art is meant to be within the limits set by traditional norms, there is very little room for being radical. As a result, artists rarely tried to produce something totally new and original. Instead, they continued relying heavily on their culture, and art mainly involved interpreting and commenting on each other’s work. Thus, until very recently, critical discourse on art in the Islamic world was not explicit as is the case with the Western art. Instead, the criticism lied within the art work. In other words, “one thinks or comments about an artwork through another art work” (Erzen 69). The reason, according to Erzen, is that in cultures where tradition is dominating, artists fail to introduce new and radical innovations. Instead, they continue interpreting the same norms and knowledge of tradition in different ways through their art. The underlying claim is that one can see the expression of Islamic culture and tradition in Islamic art and that they are not mere decorative pieces. In fact, as a result of this heavy dependence on tradition, the Islamic world failed to analyze its own arts and aesthetic approaches, and even when tried, the studies were descriptive, not analytical or conceptual. In order to support this claim, the scholar points out the fact that until early twentieth century, there was no effort to document Turkish architecture and its history. Though the Orientalists tried to understand the cultural meaning of Islamic aesthetics and art, the effort was in vain, as they tried to interpret the same using Western values and concepts. Most of the time, the efforts involved comparing Islamic art with Western art for similarities and dissimilarities and analyzing the narrative or figurative content. Thus, they failed to analyze or understand the cultural meaning of Islamic art and ended up focusing entirely on history, style and technique. The article is rather persuasive in nature. In order to substantiate his claim that the aesthetics of Islamic art was largely neglected prior to the modern age, the scholar points out that Albert Gabriel is one of the few scholars who studied architectural works in Turkey and leaves the readers to believe in the authenticity of his claim. Very similar is the claim that most of the Western approaches to understand Islamic art focused on history, style and techniques. To support this opinion, he points out that both Oleg Grabar and Richard Ettinghausen, two great scholars of Islamic art, rarely resort to aesthetic interpretation in their works (Erzen 70). Based on the claim that Islamic art and aesthetics are to be understood in the light of Islamic tradition, the scholar resorts to detailing the presence of various Islamic worldviews in Islamic art. The scholar identifies three underlying principles as evident in the artistic expression of the Islamic world. They are; “the principle of constant change within permanence, the principle of the uncertainty of human cognition, and the principle of love, or understanding with the heart” (Erzen 70). Thereafter, the scholar elaborates on the principle of constant change within permanence. For example, according to Erzen, the Ottoman architecture reveals two important structural forms, a cubic base and a domical cover, and the domes in Islamic culture are decorated with stars and constellations. All these things reflect the view that the human world is constantly moving within the universe which is permanent. According to the scholar, these shapes also mean the expansion and contraction of the world. Depending on the work of Bakthiar, Erzen points out the Islamic view that the world took shape from the breath of God (Erzen, 71). Quoting Avicenna, an early Sufi scholar, the scholar claims that stimulation of the senses is the way to knowledge, and hence, God. Art involves the stimulation of senses. Therefore, according to the Islamic tradition, especially the Sufi tradition, art is the way to the Absolute. In this awakening of senses, symbols play a great role. Therefore, artists in Islamism try to create symbols that remind people of the beauty of the creation of God. In this way, for an artist, using symbols to portray the beauty of God’s creation is a spiritual act. Another vital element of symbolism reflecting human relationship with the universe is the wide use of architectural forms like mirrors, reflections, and screens. According to Erzen, these elements create confusion between what is illusory and what is real. Thus, these mirror-like reflections and screens remind the viewer of the inability of humans to know what is real or absolute truth. In addition, the scholar provides the example of lattice screens made of wood and metal. These screens provide a colorful and changing view of lights and shadows. Though this screen acts like a veil, hiding what is real, one remains unaware of the fact because of the fineness of the veil (Erzen 71). Finally, the scholar elaborates on the principle of love as evident in Islamic art. Erzen says, “Because God wanted to make his presence known, he created humankind to admire and love him” (72). However, it is not clear from where the scholar took out this claim; Islamism or Western Christianity. Anyway, based on this, the scholar argues that it is through admiring God’s creation that one is able to understand the spiritual world. Since all creation is the reflection of God, art also is the creation of God, and hence, art is the way to God. Thus, the scholar manages to refute the allegation that Islamic art is devoid of significant content. According to him, the reason behind this allegation lies in the fact that Western critics tried to interpret the Islamic art using Western norms. In contrast, an effort to understand the Islamic art in the light of Islamic traditions and worldview will prove that the Islamic art is not just decorative but is meaningful, reflecting the Islamic culture and believes. The work is more persuasive than convincing because the scholar receives no support from earlier studies and he single-handedly interprets many Islamic art forms to meet his purpose. Still, the article reminds one of the great influence of culture and tradition on art. In addition, it teaches how important it is to look into the traditional norms of a culture while assessing its art. Works Cited Erzen, Jale N. “Islamic Aesthetics: An Alternative Way to Knowledge.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 65. 1(2007): 69-75. Print. Read More