FAH 21/121: Early Islamic Art, Spring 2014 Tues./Thurs. 3-4:15pm Jackson Hall, Room 6

Transcription

1 FAH 21/121: Early Islamic Art, Spring 2014 Tues./Thurs. 3-4:15pm Jackson Hall, Room 6 Instructor: Jennifer Lyons Office: 11 Talbot Ave. (#107, first floor) Hours: Thurs. 1:30-2:30 & by appt. Jennifer.Lyons@tufts.edu Course Description: A survey of visual arts in Muslim lands from Central Asia to Spain between the seventh and thirteenth centuries, emphasizing the role of visual arts in the formation and expression of cultural identity. We will explore painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as portable arts including ceramics, ivory, metalwork, and illuminated manuscripts. We will engage with topics including the uses of figural and non-figural imagery, calligraphy and ornament, religious and secular art, public and private art, the art of the court and the art of the urban middle class, and the status, function, and meaning of the portable arts. Learning Objectives: In this course, students will gain an understanding of the visual arts produced in Islamic lands between the seventh and thirteenth centuries. In addition, the course aims to improve students abilities to read actively and to think critically about the readings covered over the course of the semester. Students will also sharpen their powers of visual analysis by engaging with images through slow and careful looking. In addition, students will develop and practice the ability to present their research in oral and written forms. Requirements and Assignments: Attendance, class participation, and short responses to selected readings posted to the class forum on Trunk (10%) Exhibition review (due 2/25) [10%] Midterm (3/13) [20%] Final Paper: o Annotated bibliography (due 4/3) [10%] o Short in-class presentation (4/8 and 4/10) [10%] o 8-10 page research paper (due 4/24) [20%] Take-Home Final Exam (due 5/5 by 5pm) [20%]

2 Course Materials: Textbook (available in the bookstore and on Amazon): Ettinghausen, Richard, Oleg Grabar, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina. Islamic Art and Architecture , second edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, Additional readings will be available digitally (on Trunk) or on library reserve. Images covered in lecture will be available on Trunk. Library Research Page: Course Policies: More than three unexcused absences or excessive lateness will result in a lower grade for the course. Late work will not be accepted unless the student arranges for an extension prior to the due date. Except in special circumstances in which you have received prior permission from me, assignments should be submitted in hard copy. Make-up exams will be given only in the case of documented illness or emergency. Because bright screens, typing, and the lure of the web pose distractions for you and your neighbors, I ask that you do not use laptops or other devices in this class. Special Needs: Students requiring academic accommodations for a documented disability should register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and contact the instructor to discuss the implementation and logistics of their accommodations. Academic Integrity: It is your responsibility to follow the guidelines of academic integrity, as outlined in the Tufts University Student Affairs Handbook (see link below). Academic dishonesty including plagiarism will result in a failing grade in the course. Schedule of Classes: Week 1 Thurs., 1/16 Course Introductions and Slow-Looking Exercise Week 2 Tues., 1/21 Thurs., 1/23 The Art Before Islam: The Late-Antique Mediterranean and Sasanian Worlds Interactions Between the Mediterranean and Sasanian Worlds Read: Ettinghausen, Richard, From Byzantium to Sasanian Iran and the Islamic World: Three Modes of Artistic Influence. Leiden: Brill, 1972, 1-10.

3 Week 3 Tues., 1/28 Thurs., 1/30 Umayyad Art: Visual Representation on the Public Sphere Read: Islamic Art and Architecture, 3-20 Umayyad Art: Visual Representation on the Public Sphere, cont. Read: Dodd, Erica. The Image of the Word. Berytus 18 (1969): Due: Post response to Dodd to Trunk forum by 1PM Week 4 Tues., 2/4 Thurs., 2/6 The Congregational Mosque: Form and Function/The Great Mosque of Damascus Read: Islamic Art and Arch., 20-35; 83-91; ; The Great Mosque of Cordoba Read: Georgopoulou, Maria, Geography, Cartography and the Architecture of Power in the Mosaics of the Great Mosque of Damascus. In The Built Surface: Architecture and the Visual Arts from Antiquity to the Enlightenment, ed., Christy Anderson, Aldershot: Ashgate, Due: Post response to Georgopoulou to Trunk forum by 1PM Week 5 Tues., 2/11 Thurs., 2/13 Umayyad Palace Estates: The Private Sphere Read: Islamic Art and Arch, 36-51; Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. The Lion-Gazelle Mosaic at Khirbat al-mafjar. Muqarnas 14 (1997): Calligraphy and the Art of the Book Read: Islamic Art and Arch, 73-79, , ; Thackston, W. The Role of Calligraphy, in The Mosque: History, Architectural Development, and Regional Diversity, ed. Martin Frishman and Hasan-Uddin Khan, New York: Times and Hudson, Week 6 Tues., 2/18 Thurs., 2/20 No Class (Visit the Sacred Pages Exhibition and the Islamic gallery at the MFA) No Class (Monday Schedule) Week 7 Tues., 2/25 The Abbasid Palace-City: The Planning of the Capital City of Baghdad and the Wall Paintings at Samarra Read: Islamic Art and Arch., 50-73; Ettinghausen, Arab Painting, Due: Exhibition Review

4 Thurs., 2/27 Ornament: Stucco Decoration and Pottery from Samarra Read : Allen, Terry, The Arabesque, The Bevelled Style, and the Mirage of an Early Islamic Art, in Five Essays on Islamic Art, Solipsist, Due: Due: Post response to Allen to Trunk forum by 1PM Week 8 Tues., 3/4 Thurs., 3/6 Fatimid Art in Egypt Read: Islamic Art and Arch., Luxury Arts of Al-Andalus Read: Islamic Art and Arch., 91-98; ; Prado-Vilar, Francisco. Circular Visions of Fertility and Punishment: Caliphal Ivory Caskets from al-andalus. Muqarnas 14 (1997): Due: Due: Post response to Prado-Vilar to Trunk forum by 1PM Week 9 Tues., 3/11 Thurs., 3/13 Artistic Interchange in the Mediterranean: Egypt, Spain, and Norman Sicily Read: Islamic Art and Arch., ; Hoffman, Eva. Pathways of Portability. Art History 24/1 (2001): 17-50; Golombek, Lisa. The Draped Universe of Islam. In Content and Context of Visual Arts in the Islamic World: Papers from a Colloquium in Memory of Richard Ettinghausen, edited by Priscilla P. Soucek, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania State University Press, Due: Post response to either Hoffman or Golombek to Trunk forum by 1PM Midterm Exam Week 10 Tues., 3/18 Thurs., 3/20 No Class (Spring Break) No Class (Spring Break) Week 11 Tues., 3/25 Seljuk Art. Ceramics: Glazed, Painted, and Lusterware Read: Islamic Art and Arch., and ; ; Hillenbrand, Robert. The Major Minor Arts of Islam. Art History 12/1 ( Mar. 1989): ; Kimmelman, Michael. From Mosque to Museum. The New York Times, August 25, 1998, Section B, 1-3. Due: Submit Paper Topic

5 Thurs., 3/27 Meet in Tisch Library in the Tisch Research Center for library instruction and hands-on research session. Week 12 Tues., 4/1 Thurs., 4/3 Metalwork: Iran Read: Ettinghausen, Richard. The Wade Cup. Ars Orientalis 2 (1957): Art of Mesopotamia and Syria: Inlaid Metalwork of the Thirteenth Century Read: Islamic Art and Arch., Due: Annotated Bibliography Week 13 Tues., 4/8 Thurs., 4/10 Presentations Presentations Week 14 Tues., 4/15 Thurs., 4/17 Painting in Arabic Manuscripts: Image and Text Islamic Art and Arch., ; Painting in Arabic Manuscripts: The Maqamat of Al-Hariri Read: O. Grabar. "The Illustrated Maqamat of the Thirteenth Century: The Bourgeoisie and the Arts." in Islamic Visual Culture, , vol. II, Constructing the Study of Islamic Art, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, Week 15 Tues., 4/22 Thurs., 4/24 The Persian Epic: The Shahnama Illuminating the Kalila wa Dimna Due: Research Papers Take-Home Final Exam due Monday, May 5 by 5PM.