Filtering out Art’s Meaning
Mar 23rd, 2014 by mbprasad
In Week 6, we discussed Islamic architecture and art and how it represents the divine. We read several different texts, but focused on the two competing schools of traditionalism versus modern represented by Nasr and Necipoglu respectively. Nasr focuses more on the idea that all art if a manifestation of the divine and carries spiritual connotations, because at the core of all art is the truth of the Qur’an. Necipoglu disagrees with what some would call this “static argument” and says that art is a tool to convey political meaning as well as religious, and therefore art must be examined within the context that it was created.
While in Jerusalem, Israel last week, I decided to write my third blog post on the architecture of the Dome of the Rock, also known as Temple Mount, and its role in the debate between traditional and modern. Is the temple a reflection of the Qur’an or is it simply a reflection of the time period and environment of Jerusalem during the 7th century. Is the Dome Islamic in nature and at that point, what does it mean when art is “Islamic.” This is relevant to this building because the Dome of the Rock is not considered a mosque, and instead is considered a shrine.
The architecture style was stunning and the colors were so vivid. It was unlike anything else in the old city. This is important because the Old City of Jerusalemis the home of the three Abrahamic faiths and has numerous mosques, churches, and synagogues. It is a peculiar place because these three religions coexistent in location, but do not necessarily coexist in ideology. The bright blues and the glittering golden dome stood out amongst the other brown rock building of the city and the Arabic calligraphy along its walls was a testament to the history of the Arabs in that land.
My response is a photo collection. I took a photo of the mosque from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, which shows the distinctiveness of the Dome against the backdrop of the Old City. I then changed the colors of the photo to present several different feels of the picture. These differences are supposed to reflect the different opinions on the meaning of Islamic art and its purpose. Whether a photo is in black or white or color or blue, the subject matter is still the same, but the filter may change our interpretation of the subject matter. As you look at these different images, try to think about them individually and look at each of them without thinking about the others. Then think about their combination together and imagine the series as a whole and what it says about how we view something based on physical qualities rather than on the ideological ideas behind it. How is this similar to the different interpretations of art and architecture that we have? If I look at the picture where the city is pink, I am more likely to believe that this is not necessarily a holy site. If I look at the original photo, I am able to make out the calligraphy and distinct geometric style that might lead me to believe it is an Islamic site.