ISLAMIC ART AND MATERIAL CULTURE
NMC 2500H EARLY ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE (= NMC 393H)
Beginning with the first monuments of Islam, the course looks at the origins of concepts and forms that came to characterize Islamic art, such as the importance of calligraphy, the role of iconoclastic attitudes, and the creation of new architectural forms suited to urban development, up to the Mongol conquest of the 13th century.
K. Ruhrdanz
NMC 2501H LATER ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE (NMC 394H)
The impact of the Mongol conquest on Islamic art is examined in terms of the division of the Islamic world into eastern and western spheres of culture as well as the increased influence of Chinese arts. Characteristic of the later periods are the classic Persian miniature, elegance in architectural form, and glazed tile decoration, culminating in the spectacle of imperial art in India, Turkey, and Iran.
NMC 2515Y THE ISLAMIC CITY (=NMC 396Y)
It is generally recognized that the city formed the focal point for the development of Islamic civilization. Large metropolitan complexes were in fact typical of mediaeval Islam. Using architectural studies, archaeology, and historical sources as the basis of the inquiry, this course will examine the physical and social morphology of the pre-industrial Islamic city. The approach will be an in-depth study of individual cities, ranging from Central Asia to North Africa and Spain, followed by an attempt to draw some general conclusions about the ecology, demographic characteristics, and processes of urbanization of the Islamic city from the 7th to 17th centuries. This course is appropriate for students of mediaeval and Islamic studies, as well as architecture and urban studies. (Offered every three years)
E. Keall
NMC 2525H PAINTING IN LATE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN IRAN AND BEYOND
In this course, the evidence for a fresh start in painting in Iran after the Mongol invasion is reviewed, as well as the process of refinement and attrition which followed and which, over the 14th century, resulted in the formation of the classical Persian style of miniature painting. Approaching manuscript illustration of the 14th-16th centuries, the analysis focuses on programmatic cycles of images, reflection of religious-philosophical ideas, and the impact of decorative function on visual aesthetics. In the second part of the course, the separation of the image from the text is discussed, as well as the development of new branches of miniature painting in the Persianate cultures of the Ottoman Empire, Central Asia and Mughal India.
K. Ruhrdanz
NMC 2526H TEXT & IMAGE: THE FORMATION OF ARABIC AND PERSIAN MANUSCRIPT ILLUSTRATION
The course traces the development of manuscript illustration in Islamic lands up to the year 1258. In its first part, the question of iconoclasm within Islam will be discussed, as will be the opposing currents of extensive use of figural representation and their intellectual and social contexts.
The second part of the course is dedicated to the specifics of the art of the book. We shall examine the earliest testimonies of manuscript illustration in the Islamic world and their sources in mural painting, mosaics, painted decoration of objects and translated scientific texts. Then, we shall follow the development of narrative illustration since the 12th century and explore how this changed the relationship between text and image.
K. Ruhrdanz
NMC 2527H ISLAMIC DECORATIVE ARTS
The decorative arts from the 7th to the 19th century will be surveyed by medium, in terms of technologies, iconography, style, and patronage. The major media are metalwork and ceramics, but other media, such as glass, wood, stone, jewelry, and lacquer will be covered. Of particular interest will be communication between media, the sharing of decorative ideas, and the changing hierarchy of the decorative arts. We shall also consider the use of these materials in architecture in the form of ceramic tiles, stone and wood-carving. Particular attention will be paid to Islamic themes of decoration, such as geometric and arabesque compositions, as they developed in different regional variations. Use will be made of the Islamic collection in the Royal Ontario Museum.