Picturing Islam: Art and Ethics in a Muslim Lifeworld

Indonesian painter Abdul Djalil Pirous's pioneering advances in abstract modernism and modern Islamic aesthetics have established him as a leading figure in the world of Asian art. In Picturing Islam, cultural anthropologist Kenneth George explores issues of religion, nationalism, ethnicity, and globalization through the life and work of this original contemporary artist. Working in close collaboration with Pirous, George tells a captivating story about this painter's pursuit of a political, religious, and artistic identity as it emerged over the course of modern Indonesian history -- from a time of revolution and anti-colonial struggle to the current period of post-authoritarian hope and uncertainty. Along the way, George reveals the artist's anguished paintings and reflections on the culture of violence that Indonesia unleashed in his ethnic homeland of Aceh, as well as his embrace of Islamic aesthetics and ethics as a way to resist being defined by globalized art styles and discourses emanating from the West. While providing a compelling and richly drawn portrait of an individual artist, Picturing Islam: Art and Ethics in a Muslim Lifeworld also contributes to a deeper understanding of the cultural politics of Asia's postcolonial art world as well as the creative and ethical sensibilities of its Muslim artists.George, Kenneth M. is the author of 'Picturing Islam: Art and Ethics in a Muslim Lifeworld', published 2010 under ISBN 9781405129572 and ISBN 1405129573.