Islamic Aesthetics & Design
GENERAL INFORMATION
Embark on a journey through the lens of Islamic Art, exploring the profound connection between human nature and aesthetics, and contrasting it with the evolution of Western art and the rise of modernism. This course offers a deep dive into the collective consciousness of Islamic civilization, its unique approach to artistic development, and its impact on every aspect of life.
GENERAL INFO:
Course Category: Islamic Aesthetics and Design
Course Format: Online
Dates: Sep 28 – Nov 16, 2025
Time: Saturdays, 5 p.m. UTC (90-minute sessions)
Instructors: Raci Şenalp
Course Price: $80
ABOUT THE COURSE
slamic arts, thought and sciences have always been integrated with one another throughout history. Mastering any field under Islamic arts requires this comprehensive outlook as a foundation.
To understand Islamic aesthetic principles of Beauty and Truth, one must begin with a deep comprehension and appreciation of Islamic artistic tradition. It is imperative to critically examine and develop a sound Islamic identity and vision to move beyond a superficial orientalist perspective that has unfortunately prevailed in the West and amongst Muslim society, owing to centuries of cultural colonialism. This is foundational to emulating our historical heritage in modern times and preventing degeneration or resorting to replication. Hence, “a feeling of belonging” is essential. Preserving historical works and contemporary interpretations of the traditions is critical for design when referencing divine beauty.
CLASSES (WEEK 1-4)
Week 1: Intro to Islamic Art: The importance of words and concepts
While we often assume that words and their meanings exist independently, it is essential to recognize that the definitions we ascribe are distilled from the overarching ideology of a given civilization. To delve into the realm of Islamic arts, a preliminary step involves revisiting and redefining crucial concepts to align with the principles of Islamic thinking.
Week 2: The Nature of the Human Being: Fıtrah
To create a compelling and deeply engaging work of art that resonates with the human spirit, it is essential to first understand the nature of the recipient, which is the human being. The foundational principles of aesthetics and beauty are intrinsically linked to human nature and find their roots therein. The contemporary departure from traditional aesthetics can be attributed to a historical failure in establishing and nurturing this intrinsic connection over the preceding centuries.
Week 3: Intro to History of Western Art
Commencing from the Gothic era onwards, the journey of Western art and architecture will be concisely and critically examined. In this lesson we will be taking a look at the spirit and the psyche of Western Civilization through its artwork.
Week 4: Modernism: An art style, an ideology, a religion
Western civilization gradually lost its connection with its human aspect and started to deviate from its classical foundations.This divergence eventually manifested as an artistic movement known as modernism. Furthermore, our inquiry will extend to the examination of modernism not solely as an artistic expression but as an overarching ideology, at times elevating to the status of a religious belief system.
CLASSES (WEEK 5-8)
Week 5: Intro to Islamic thinking: Collective consciousness of a civilization: Part 1
A civilization is a system of ideas and beliefs that shows itself through every aspect of life. In this lesson starting from the city of Medina how the theoretical and practical foundations of Islamic civilization have been laid and how they guided their successors.
Week 6: Intro to Islamic thinking: Collective consciousness of a civilization: Part 2
In this course, we will delve into the facets of Ottomans, examining how Islamic principles are expressed through various fields such as society, sciences, art and architecture. Our aim is to unravel the underlying ideas that shape their beliefs across these diverse domains.
Week 7: The Development of Islamic Art: Takamul: Part 1
In contrast to Western civilization, Islam adopted a distinctive approach in the development of its ideolgy, emphasizing a process of maturation rather than abrupt transformations. This lesson aims to examine the history of Islamic art by studying the underlying ideology that influenced its approach to artistic development.
Week 8: The Development of Islamic Art: Takamul: Part 2
Expanding on previous lesson, we will be exploring the Ottoman perspective. We will examine how they studied and crafted their own approach based on Islamic thinking, drawing inspiration from diverse ideas originating from Arabia, Iran and the West.
ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR
Raci Şenalp
Ahmet Raci Şenalp is an architect, instructor, and researcher. He completed a B.A. in architecture from Istanbul Technical University (ITU). His research delves into the Islamic viewpoint on beauty and truth. His studies are focused on tracing the origins of Islamic art, unhindered by the orientalist perspective that has influenced both Western and Muslim societies over centuries of cultural colonialism. He upholds the belief that every piece of art should reflect divine beauty and is committed to disseminating this philosophy through talks, displays, and his professional work as an architect.
Raci Şenalp is an architectural project manager at an Istanbul-based firm, Hassa Architecture, specializing in contemporary applications of traditional Islamic architecture. Hassa Architecture designed the Diyanet Center of America in Maryland and many other famous sites worldwide. https://www.hassa.com/en His work focuses on concept development and curation for exhibitions. Additionally, he is lecturer at Mekteb-i Mimari, a school for architecture students.
Due to limited seating, we request that you cancel by July 15, 2025, to receive a full refund.
To apply for financial aid, fill out this form by June 1, 2025. Applications after this date will be considered case by case while funds last.
For inquiries, contact students@deenartsfoundation.org.
Due to limited seating, we request that you cancel by July 15, 2025, to receive a full refund.
To apply for financial aid, fill out this form by June 1, 2025. Applications after this date will be considered case by case while funds last.
For inquiries, contact students@deenartsfoundation.org.
