The History of the Arts and Famous Paintings

"The History of the Arts and Famous Paintings" by Salama Moussa

A Historical and Intellectual Framework

The Author’s Background

Salama Moussa (1887–1958) was a pioneering Egyptian intellectual. During his stay in Europe (1906–1909), he was deeply influenced by the philosophies of Marx, Darwin, and Voltaire, and he joined the Fabian Society in England, where he met George Bernard Shaw. These encounters shaped his rationalist vision of art.

Purpose of the Book

The book aims to present a visual history of European art while analyzing its cultural contexts. It draws heavily on Sir William Orpen’s Outline of Art, supplemented with other sources.

First published in 1927, it was reissued by the Hindawi Foundation in 2011.

Methodology

Moussa combines historical narrative with aesthetic critique, focusing on major artists while leaving aside less influential figures, and relies heavily on illustrations to reinforce his arguments.

Theoretical Foundations of the Arts

The Nature of Fine Arts
Moussa divides the fine arts into eight categories: music, poetry, prose, architecture, painting, sculpture, dance, and theater. He argues that their shared purpose is the creation of beauty, which he regards as subjective rather than objective:

“The world itself is neither beautiful nor ugly; beauty and ugliness exist only in our minds.”

The Hierarchy of the Arts
Moussa arranges the arts along a spectrum between “the intellect” (abstraction) and “the senses” (perception):

Closest to the intellect: prose → poetry
Middle range: architecture → sculpture → painting
Closest to the senses: music

The Evolution of Art
Influenced by Darwin, Moussa links the development of art to broader cultural evolution. He argues that artistic decline results from:

A break with innovation
Religious or political dominance
Excessive traditionalism

A Historical Analysis of European Art

A. The Italian Renaissance

The Florentine school marked the foundation of modern painting, distinguished by its focus on human anatomy and perspective.

Leonardo da Vinci: Unified science and art in works like Mona Lisa.
Michelangelo: Expressive sculptures (David) and monumental frescoes (Sistine Chapel ceiling).
Raphael: Master of compositional balance (The School of Athens).

B. Modern European Schools

The Flemish School (Netherlands): Innovators of oil painting, with a focus on daily realism.
- Rembrandt: Dramatic use of light (The Night Watch).
- Vermeer: Intimate domestic scenes (Girl with a Pearl Earring).
The Spanish School: Distinguished by psychological depth.
- El Greco: Elongated forms reflecting spiritual struggle.
- Velázquez: Subtle courtly critiques (Las Meninas).

C. Nineteenth-Century Movements

Impressionism: Capturing fleeting effects of light (Monet’s Impression, Sunrise).
Post-Impressionism:
- Van Gogh: Swirling lines and fiery colors expressing torment (Starry Night).
- Gauguin: Tropical palettes and symbolic Tahitian works.
Avant-garde (Fauvism & Cubism):
- Picasso: Fragmented forms (Les Demoiselles d’Avignon).
- Matisse: Bold colors and expressive distortions.

Summary Table of Artistic Movements

Period	School	Key Features	Artists
15th–16th c.	Italian Renaissance	Anatomical precision, perspective	Da Vinci, Raphael
17th c.	Flemish	Realism, oil technique	Rembrandt, Vermeer
19th c.	Impressionism	Light effects, quick brushwork	Monet, Renoir
Early 20th c.	Cubism	Fragmentation, geometry	Picasso, Braque

Islamic Art through Moussa’s Lens

Religious Foundations and Influence
Moussa argues that Islam’s relative prohibition of figural representation stemmed from the fight against idolatry. Yet he notes greater flexibility in Persia and Fatimid Egypt due to Shi‘i influence.

This prohibition, he suggests, pushed Muslim artists toward:

Developing intricate geometric patterns (stars, interlacing designs).
Stylizing plant and animal motifs.
Elevating Arabic calligraphy into an art form.

Major Directions in Islamic Art

Geometric Ornamentation: Intersecting circles and triangles creating rhythmic harmony.
Arabesque (Tauriq): Abstracted vegetal and animal forms.
Calligraphy: Kufic, Thuluth, and Naskh scripts integrated into architecture.

Architecture as the Pinnacle
Islamic architecture merged beauty with function in mosques, markets, and palaces. Key features included:

Muqarnas: Stalactite-like ornamentation, perfected under the Mamluks.
Mashrabiyas: Latticed wooden screens influenced by Coptic art.
Mosaics: Adapted from Byzantine traditions.

Development by Historical Periods

Era	Geographic Centers	Key Contributions
Umayyad	Syria, al-Andalus	Dome of the Rock, vegetal motifs
Fatimid	Egypt	Palace animal motifs, lustreware ceramics
Mamluk	Egypt, Syria	Muqarnas, four-iwan schools
Ottoman	Anatolia, Balkans	Monumental domes, red ceramics

Critique and Debates

The Question of “Artistic Decline”
Moussa criticizes:

Byzantine art for its rigidity in service of the Church.
Medieval Europe for artistic stagnation under Catholic dominance.
Certain modern schools (e.g., Cubism), which he dismisses as “distortions.”

Critics’ Response: Some accused him of “extreme Darwinism” for applying evolutionary theory to art.

The Debate over Islamic Art

Moussa’s stance: Islam suppressed representational art, pushing artists toward abstraction.
Modern critique: This view underestimates Islamic art’s originality in abstraction and ignores broader cultural exchanges (e.g., with China in ceramics).

Limits of Scope

Overemphasis on European painting at the expense of sculpture and theater.
Neglect of African and non-Islamic Asian art.
Insufficient analysis of the images included.

Moussa’s Defense: In his preface, he acknowledged his reliance on Orpen’s framework and deliberately focused on the most famous works.

Legacy and Impact

Reception by Readers and Critics
Strengths:

The first Arabic book linking art history to cultural context.
Accessible introduction to aesthetics for beginners.

Weaknesses:

Criticized as “a history of painters, not of art” due to its biographical focus.
Strong bias against religious art.

Historical Significance

Pioneering work, preceding Kamal al-Din Samih’s History of Art by four decades.
Offered Arab readers rare exposure to European art trends at a time when translations were scarce.

Enduring Lessons

Art as a human necessity: for Moussa, art compensates for “the ugliness of the world.”
Liberation of art from imitation: “If art were mere imitation, the camera would have surpassed it.”

Conclusion: Between Achievement and Limitation

The History of the Arts and Famous Paintings remains a historical document reflecting the vision of an Arab intellectual attempting to break down Eurocentric art narratives, even as he reproduced some of their assumptions.

While its simplified treatment of artistic schools provided an influential entry point for early Arab readers, its reductive view of Islamic art and limited image analysis reveal the intellectual constraints of its time.

Nonetheless, the work stands as a testament to Salama Moussa’s boldness in engaging with fields that were still considered “foreign” to Arab thought.

For the original summary in Arabic