It is Time to Write about Time in Art:

Much has been written about the role of architecture and, to some extent, the significance of representing sculpture in painting. However, the function of the depicted artefacts in painting in general and that of the depicted Islamic Object in particular, has not been thoroughly explored. It is perhaps the derogative general terms of ‘applied arts’ and ‘minor arts’ which probably hint at the relatively underestimated status in which this category of artifacts was, and still is, classified and still held. And yet, one should admit that only few case studies have so far been devoted to the manifold meanings of objects in painting (European and non-European alike), mainly in moments in which objects took major part in the shaping of the capitalistic and consumerist societies in which they were used (and misused).

The aim of this seminar is to contribute to the large and still unexplored field of research, which involves the significance of the presence of objects in painting, namely the iconography of objects, or better say objectology. At the core of this seminar is the exhibition “Orientalism” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (to be opened in June 2026 and run during the Fall of 2026). Most of the meeting will be held at the Met Museum, in front of paintings. Students will be asked to read and discuss theoretical articles related to the role of objects in painting and to critically analyse the important roles of the depicted objects. This course explores the different sort of objects, from the biblical, sacred, historical and the mundane objects to the scientific and the imagined ones. The object’s role as signifier of geography, time, idea and even unconscious desires will be investigated by reading about and looking at objects.