Offending The Pious
"I like the idea of showing the other side of the coin. We are talking about a diverse world that goes from the Atlantic, Spain and Morocco to India. It brings complexity.It is by no means representative of a new initiative. It has been eleven years in the making. But the Islamic Art department of the Louvre has now been completed and opened to public view. One might imagine that the representative treasures, objects of art and a culture that has now long passed, although the religion that inspired it is still with the world, as the second largest religion by adherents in the world, might reflect the best in that religion.
"We are suffering from simplistic views on the Islamic world. (Some) would make us believe that there is just one Islam, which is just not true."
Sophie Makartou, head, Islamic Art Department, Louvre
It doubtless does. But it does not reflect the history of the religion, its birth as a Bedouin-inspired desert faith torn by tribal and sectarian animosities, the historical blight of assassinations and bloody wars of conquest in a prodigious effort to expand relentlessly in as wide a geographic swoop as possible in the name of Islam, during which time the conquered peoples were forcibly turned to this religion, to forswear their own, or pay endless taxes to be permitted to survive.
The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is described as one of the largest museums and the most-visited museum in the world. It is a one-time fortress and palace. It houses 380,000 objects and has 15 acres of display space. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
That, of course, is history. The art in and of itself is a magnificent reflection of the minds that were taken in celebration of their faith, to praise it with works of human ingenuity in architectural brilliance and decorative arts the equal of any produced by any other culture, theistically-inspired or not. The legacy of that art on later art produced by the geographies that freed themselves of Islamic control enriched their heritage as well.
The richness of the art represented in the Louvre's new exhibition hall represents 18,000 artifacts, dated between the 7th Century to the 19th. Among the wonderful pieces of artistic brilliance demonstrating the evolution of Islamic art are depictions of the Prophet Mohammad. "I think Muslims will be shocked", mused a historical constant for the Louvre.
"We felt we had to use them, to illustrate (Islamic) history the way we see it", she said. That consultant, Charlotte Maury stated that Mohammad's face was not available for public view after the 1600s, no longer depicted in public art beginning in the 15th Century, a time when Muslim scholars of the day decided it would represent a more respectful worship of the Prophet's time in history if his face remained mysteriously absent.
For, it was pointed out, the Koran has no prohibition specifically denying depictions of the man whose historical vision brought Islam into being. Despite which, some of the consultants whose opinion the Louvre seeks out feel that some Muslims might be "shocked" by images of Mohammad with his face exposed, appearing in the newly opened wing.
Those Muslims who would be "shocked" would of course, react in the usual manner, blindly shrieking blasphemy and cursing those who bring indignity to the central figure in their religion. That to do so represents forbidden idolatry would be a cautionary sentiment perhaps foreign to them; more to the point would be their assertion quite simply that it is forbidden and to do otherwise is to commit an unforgivable assault on Islamic values.
The display in all its meritricious artistic grandeur will represent yet another offence that non-believers have yet again perpetrated upon long-suffering and devout followers of Islam. Whose duty most surely is interpreted by the pious clergy who impress upon their flock the dire necessity to react with outrage and to embark on yet another rampage, this time stamping rage on the Fleur de Lis.
Labels: Archaeology, Art, France, Islam, Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, September 23, 2012
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