Art in Focus: Islam

by Markus Hattstein

The titles in this practical series of monographs are substantial paperbacks, exciting leisure reading and useful reference works all in one. Far more informative than any museum brochure, they are the ideal guide for the non-specialist.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Markus Hattstein has studied early cultures and their secrets for over 30 years.
He has studied sociology, philosophy, religion, and theology. He has written various books in the field of architecture, history of art.
Today he lives in Berlin as a freelance author, lecturer, and editor.

Reviews

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to Islam. If you are already knowledgeable of the main concepts, then this book is not for you. I also enjoyed the fact that it is very “alive” by having a lot of pictures and graphical representations. Therefore, it’s a pleasant read.

[Angelo IG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο τίτλος Art in focus είναι λανθασμένος. Το βιβλίο λέγεται Religion in focus και δεν μιλάει απλά για την τέχνη στο Ισλάμ. Είναι μια σφιχτή, σαφής εισαγωγή στο ευρύτερο πλαίσιο του ισλαμικού πολιτισμού. Καλύπτει τη γέννηση του Ισλάμ, τις βάσεις της πίστης, την ιστορική του εξάπλωση, την επιστήμη και τις τέχνες, το ισλαμικό δίκαιο, την οικογένεια και την κοινωνία, καθώς και ζητήματα πολιτισμικής ταυτότητας. Σε περιορισμένο όγκο, ο Hattstein οργανώνει τα θέματα με τρόπο προσβάσιμο, προσφέροντας μια συνεκτική επισκόπηση του Ισλάμ.

Οι εικόνες και τα σύντομα κεφάλαια υποστηρίζουν την αναγνωστική ροή, χωρίς να θυσιάζεται η σαφήνεια των βασικών εννοιών. Προφανώς, δεν πρόκειται για αναλυτική ακαδημαϊκή πραγματεία. Αν κάποιος αναζητά πιο λεπτομερή ανάλυση ή εκτενές ιστορικό πλαίσιο, πιθανόν να χρειαστεί να στραφεί σε πιο εξειδικευμένες εκδόσεις. Για μένα, σε συνδυασμό με άλλα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει για το θέμα, είναι αρκετό.

[Emespre · Rating 2 out of 5]

As we're studying Islam in SOR, I decided to buy this book last year as it was on sale and I thought it might complement my classwork, especially as I was behind in SOR work at that point in time (and still haven't finished those bits and pieces, actually; I should do that...). I just got around to reading it. It was interesting. I'm not sure whether it was because there was a lot of stuff which we have learnt in class, whether I was trying to rush through it too quickly and so didn't retain information, whether nonfiction just isn't really for me, or whether it was the book itself, but I found myself forcing myself to keep reading. It provides a good foundational understanding of the religion. There was a point or two which contradicted what my teacher said, so I'll have to chase up the correct info if I remember to do so, but I found that it provided a good basis as it covered a range of topics, for example science and art, Islamic law, family and society, the spread of Islam, Islam's origin and the basis of faith. I think this set up was another reason that it didn't appeal to me as a few of the sections weren't really relevant to my particular work, but if you're looking for a broad general understanding of Islam then it's definitely worth a read.

Sorry about rambling. I'm really sleepy (probably another reason why it seemed to drag on). I've rated it based on how I feel at the moment but that is partially due to my tiredness and my reasons for reading it, so chances are that other people would gain more from this book than I did.

[Gurjeet · Rating 2 out of 5]

lots of facts with good number of pictures of historical places and artifacts.