Islamic Art—What is it? A complex & interesting issue. Unlike Christian or Buddhist art, much of IA has no relation to faith. Unlike in French or Greek art, it is not a country. Unlike Gothic or Baroque art, it does not fit into a clear-cut period. "The term is a misnomer" (c) SB

Not a region, a period, a school, a movement, or a dynasty, universal Islamic art is a 20th c. European concept. Islamic lands still largely study national art (Turkish, Persian, Egyptian etc.) with very few teaching positions in Islamic Art. The concept remains "Western" today.

Islamic art spans 14 centuries and ~40 countries. To complicate matters, Islam rarely destroyed local artistic traditions, but used and promoted them. Then how do you study IA? When does an artifact become “Islamic”? Is IA universal or a variant of local cultures?

How do you define IA? Do you think the definition matters?

S.S.Blair, J.M.Bloom. The Mirage of Islamic Art: Reflections on the Study of an Unwieldy Field, (easy & excellent intro to the problem )

O. Grabar. The Formation of Islamic Art (more complex, but seminal)