Introduction to Arabic-Islamic Esthetics

Abstract

The Arabic-Islamic esthetics is a relatively complete conception and practice of the beautiful, based on the Oriental-Islamic view of the world, which, in spite of its being a medieval view has certain essential characteristics owing to its Oriental provenience. A conciliatory attitude of the Oriental man who merges with nature rather than opposes it, as well as social structures in the Orient (on the basis of the nature of property, law, state) constituted the Arabic-Islamic notion of the beautiful as a one-layer phenomenon, as a sensation on the level of one directly experienced sensory image, which in principle does not penetrate deeper, to the deeper level of the “second image”, the other, non-sensory experience: psychological, moral, social, ideological, cognitive, didactic, etc. Therefore, all the artistic devices of this esthetics function in accordance with its nature, especially those connected with form and composition which are the primary bearers of the layer of the “second image”. Detail and fragment are very important elements of this esthetics, whereas composition appears as an endless, boundless moving conveyor of immediate, tolerant movement, without confrontation of elements, rhythmically, brought into accord as to be monotonous, at least from our point of view. There are no excesses, no “flights toward divinity”, no special heroes. The identification with nature and world is expressed booth by contents and by formal composition.