On Islamic art

Islamic aesthetics (encompassing art works and their  specific forms, artistic concepts, disciplines, genres and functions, etc) developed as an expression of and as a response to the world view, concepts and social- cultural practices of Islamic states and societies, that is, those social-historical and  political entities who have  considered  themselves as consciously  structured around ideas and values whose ultimate and legitimate sources are to be found in the religious literature of Islam.

Within the great geographical extension, various time frames and diversity of languages, societies and cultures encompassed by the general designation of Islamic - too broad and general a category to the point of being almost meaningless or useless, for many specialists -  there are common basic elements that may allow us to consider and apply the title "Islamic", having always in mind that these common elements have been reflected and developed differently at different times and places.

 As expressions of a distinct world-view and of specific historical experiences, Islamic art, or the arts of Islam, or the arts of the Islamic Civilizations or Islamic Cultures (plural) is not restricted to religious art, although religious art and architecture, in importance and relative volume, is certainly a central or crucial part of it.

Marcelo Guimarães Lima