A Cultural Mosaic

By Chris O'Toole

FORT COLLINS, Co-- Quran burners, you have found your counterpoints.

In the week following the anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, a group of students gathered not to condemn, but to learn about and celebrate Islamic culture.

The Islamic cultural event was lead by Dr. Alison Shah, a historian of modern South Asia, who gave a lecture on art in the Islamic world. Shah explored the influence of Middle Eastern art, both religious and non-religious, within a global context. The art served as an example of exchange and trade even amid severe religious differences.

“There was an eventual overlap between religious and non-religious art,” explained Shah.

Originally, a specific style of art existed for religious art exclusively, mostly including blues and whites that were important to the Islamic culture. The paintings were so radiant, however, that non-religious groups clamored for the artistic style in their works of art.

Shah also discussed issues in the Islamic faith that are especially pertinent today. Art served as a medium for expression and helped to give individuality to the Islamic faith.

“Tribal values and Muslim values differ,” said Shah, referring to the differing laws between the region and the religion. This too would shine through in the art as instructional Christian parables were painted without limitation, but painting the face of the Muslim prophet Mohammad was strictly forbidden.

She then noted that the distinct separation between the values of the region and the values of the Islamic faith could be seen within certain artworks.

Her lecture also touched on other pertinent subjects of today, such as community and the exchange of ideas. At times throughout history, Islamic rulers would superimpose their own cultures upon the lands they dominated. But often, rulers would take local artists and bring them back to the homeland to make the art of the conquered region.

“Blending went both ways,” said Shah. “Timor Lane raided India in the 14th century and brought artisans to Uzbekistan.”

Shah’s lecture concluded to a rousing applause and many questions from students intrigued by the history Islamic art.

One student from the back of the room asked about the preservation of art given the destructive history of Europe and the Middle East.

Remarkably, the carnage seen at Carthage and Alexandria was not replicated, said Shah. Rather the regional arts, such as India’s exquisite brassware, were stolen or sold at bazaars due to their craftsmanship and value. Still crime, but at least the objects weren’t lost to the sands of time.

The most radical exchange within Islamic art, however, is the one that exists today. The ancient smash-and-grab jobs have become civilized auctions and sales to collectors who can’t get enough of the history. In fact, the most prominent collection of Middle Eastern ceramics and pottery resides within the house of a Hawaiian citizen, who has opened her house to the public as a museum.

The whirlwind visual tour ended there and lasted only an hour and a half. But in that brief moment, students gained centuries of appreciation for the stigmatized Islamic culture.