A Comparative Study of Theoretical Perspectives in Islamic Art with Emphasis on the Ideas of Rice, Irwin, Price, and Brend

Abstract

Islamic art, as one of the most intricate manifestations of the visual culture of the Islamic world, has always stood at the intersection of the sacred and the aesthetic, form and meaning, mysticism and power. Understanding the essence of this art and interpreting its diverse functions requires an examination and comparison of viewpoints that have analyzed it from historical, philosophical, political, and mystical perspectives. The present study, employing a comparative and analytical approach, compares the intellectual foundations of traditionalist scholars in the field of Islamic art—Robert Irwin, Christiane Pries, Barbara Brend, and Talbot Rice—and seeks to identify the points of convergence and divergence among their perspectives across three axes: the ontology of art, its social function, and its spiritual aesthetics. Using a qualitative method and content analysis of these scholars’ ideas, the study concludes that Rice and Pries, emphasizing order, geometry, and unity within multiplicity, regard Islamic art as a manifestation of tawhid (divine unity) and a sacred structure. In contrast, Irwin and Brend, with historical and cultural approaches, interpret it as a reflection of power, gender, and social experience. The findings indicate that theoretical dialogue between these two approaches is possible and that, through the mediating views of Pries and Brend, a hybrid model for explaining Islamic art can be developed—one that perceives art as a domain where meaning and context, the sacred and the social, coexist. This model can provide a theoretical basis for rethinking Islamic aesthetics and for the cultural critique of contemporary art. The goal of strengthening the theoretical foundations of Islamic art offers an analytical framework for future studies in the historiography of art and Islamic aesthetics.