In her online lecture and accompanying text, art historian Silvia Naef reflects on the relationship between religion, images and art within Islam.
In her lecture on 'Islam et Images - une relation complexe' [Islam and images – a complex relationship], she refutes the theory that Islam is fundamentally hostile to images. In the text accompanying the lecture, 'L’art rapproche l’homme de Dieu – Art et religion dans la pensée du peintre libanais Moustafa Farroukh (1901-1957) [Art brings man closer to God - Art and religion in the thinking of Lebanese painter Moustafa Farroukh (1901-1957)], she retraces the history of the relationship between Islam and images from the great pre-modern Muslim empires to the appearance of “modern imagery” from the 19th century onwards.
The lecture and text will be available as from May 27 on the websites of Crosstalks and Moussem. The lecture of Silvia Naef is in French, but subtitled in Dutch and English. The text will be available in French, Dutch and English.
Part of Critical Thinking within Islam, a series of talks presented by VUB Crosstalks and Moussem. Contrary to common perception, Islam has been nurtured and questioned throughout history by philosophers and dissidents, and to this day lives a fascinating culture of debate that is at odds with the delusion of a 'pure', unchanging religion. The series features a range of great thinkers whose lectures and essays offer remarkable insights into a rich philosophical and intellectual tradition.
