Universität Wien
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080044 PS Case Study II/III: From the Arabian Peninsula to the World: (2015S)

Late Antiquity and the Rise of Islamic Art

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 8 - Kunstgeschichte und Europäische Ethnologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 04.03. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 11.03. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 18.03. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 25.03. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 15.04. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 22.04. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 29.04. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 06.05. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 13.05. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 20.05. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 27.05. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 03.06. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 10.06. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 17.06. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20
  • Wednesday 24.06. 12:30 - 14:00 Seminarraum 2 d. Inst. f. Kunstgeschichte UniCampus Hof 9 3F-EG-20

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Content:
The course aims at illustrating the rise of Islamic art in the early centuries after the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad. Early Islamic art was articulated by reshuffling in a creative way elements coming from the Arabian Peninsula and by the lands Muslims conquered in the early stage of their history. Both late antique Byzantine and late antique Sasanian art offered forms, models and iconographies that were taken by Muslims in order to construct their own specific artistic culture. At the same time, the course places the rise of Islam within its historical context and especially highlights the material culture of the Arabian Peninsula before Islam. Students are introduced to the artistic and architectural endeavours of early Muslims as well as to some historiographical issues related to the rise of Islam. The course looks at how early Muslims organized their places of worship and places of pilgrimage as well as at the artistic production at the court of the early caliphs. Topics such as the attitude of early Muslims towards figurative art, the trade of luxury goods with China, and a glimpse on the artistic production of non-Muslims under the early Islamic rule are also included.

Assessment and permitted materials

Participation, oral presentation and written paper.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students are expected to gain a detailed knowledge of the main objects and monuments of the early Islamic period including the relative artistic techniques; to understand the mechanisms of the rise of a new artistic tradition by placing it into its original historical context; to be introduced to the main historiographical issues related to the rise of Islam.

Examination topics

Students will engage with both material and written evidence. During each seminar primary sources (in English) dealing with the subject of the seminar will be discussed. Presentations by students devoted to a specific object/building/theme will be followed by a collective discussion based on some readings assigned in advance

Reading list

- Oleg Grabar, The Formation of Islamic Art, Yale University Press, 1987.
- K.A.C. Creswell, A short account of early Muslim architecture, Aldershot, 1989.
- Robert Hillenbrand, Islamic architecture, Columbia University Press, 1994 (selected chapters).
- Roads of Arabia, Somogy Art Publishers, 2010.
- Byzantium and Islam: age of transition, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Press, 2012 (selected chapters).

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:31