Punto Parola Immagine. La genesi del simbolismo visivo nell'architettura islamica (VII-X secolo) in rapporto alla cultura visiva occidentale.

This research positions itself directly on the threshold between western aesthetics and the Islamic world’s aesthetics, and has the aim of purifying the language that is commonly used to describe the Islamic world – language that produces misunderstandings and distorted interpretations and readings. One of the main problems in this research area is considered to be the question of threshold and language. As highlighted by Hossein Nasr, Iranian philosopher and expert in Islamic studies, the study of Islamic thought from the evolutionary perspective would be completely misleading. In order to try to comprehend this thought and, as a consequence, the Islamic world’s art, visual and literary culture, there is a need to define an entirely different point of view and approach to literature from that to which we are accustomed to using in modern science and western culture. The aim of this research, therefore, is to propose an approach to the study of the Islamic world’s art and architecture using instruments suited to the nature of this kind of artistic expression so as to lay the basis for future research in each Islamic territory. For this reason, the foundations of Islamic thought in relation to art will be examined. The period covered will be from the beginning of the new faith in the VII Century through to the X Century, widely considered to be the classical period of Islamic art. The main subjects examined in this doctoral thesis concern the analysis of the visual culture and of artistic production. The research will highlight the reasons for which this type of research should be conducted from an interdisciplinary approach so as to be able to trace right back to the founding concepts of Islamic thought and to examine the nature of the visual act and of vision, if not the subjects and the way in which they are conceived and understood. Indeed, concepts such as these were widely debated throughout the Middle Ages in the field of science, perspectives and philosophy in the Islamic world. The lines along which the doctoral research is proposed to be carried out are precisely those of scientific thought and philosophical/gnostic thought of the Islamic world which offer solid and reliable bases for the study of Islamic art and architecture. The structure of the research: I) Using a brief historical summary, a light will be shined on the immense geographical and cultural boundaries of the Islamic world, the meeting of the new faith with the native traditions of the different regions, and the formulation of the first approaches in the area of artistic expression in this socio-political context; a type of artistic expression that will always remain closely and intrinsically linked to that of thought. Immediately after, the cornerstones of the history of science, its position within Islamic society and its direct influence on artistic culture will be listed. II) To the extent permitted in this type of research, an analysis will be made of some of the fundaments of philosophical and gnostic thought which are indispensable in order to understand the physical and visible dimension of art as compared to the intelligible dimension. This is of great importance as it highlights the common roots of Islamic thought and Greek philosophy, to which Islam is one of the principal heirs thanks to the immense contribution made by the Muslim world to the rereading, translation and reinterpretation of philosophical texts; by investigating the visual and literary culture, along with the study of science and thought, an attempt will be made to propose an interpretation so as to take a position on the threshold, on the gateway to both worlds and to formulate a suitable research methodology as outlined above.