Anarchist, Artist, Sufi: The Politics, Painting, and Esotericism of Ivan Aguéli

Description

This book follows the life of Ivan Aguéli, the artist, anarchist, and esotericist, notable as one of the earliest Western intellectuals to convert to Islam and to explore Sufism. This book explores different aspects of his life and activities, revealing each facet of Aguéli's complex personality in its own right. It then shows how esotericism, art, and anarchism finally found their fulfillment in Sufi Islam. The authors analyze how Aguéli's life and conversion show that Islam occupied a more central place in modern European intellectual history than is generally realized. His life reflects several major modern intellectual, political, and cultural trends. This book is an important contribution to understanding how he came to Islam, the values and influences that informed his life, and-ultimately-the role he played in the modern Western reception of Islam. Cover Contents List of Figures Acknowledgments Notes on Transliteration and Updates 1 Ivan Aguéli: Politics, Painting, and Esotericism Mark Sedgwick Part One Ivan Aguéli the Anarchist Artist 2 Ivan Aguéli’s Life and Work Viveca Wessel 3 Exploring the Territories of the Avant-garde: Ivan Aguéli and the Institutions of His Time Annika Öhrner 4 Ivan Aguéli the Esotericist, in Reality and Fiction Per Faxneld 5 Ivan Aguéli’s Monotheistic Landscapes: From Perspectival to Solar Logics Simon Sorgenfrei 6 Painting the Sacred as an Initiatic Path: Art and Cubism in the Eyes of Ivan Aguéli Thierry Zarcone 7 Kill the Audience: Ivan Aguéli’s Universal Utopia of Anarchism and Islam Anthony T. Fiscella Part Two Ivan Aguéli the Sufi 8 Ivan Aguéli’s Second Period in Egypt, 1902–9: The Intellectual Spheres around Il Convito/Al-Nadi Paul-André Claudel 9 Sufi Teachings for Pro-Islamic Politics: Ivan Aguéli and Il Convito Alessandra Marchi 10 Ivan Aguéli and the Islamic Legacy of Emir ʿAbd al-Qadir Iheb Guermazi 11 Ivan Aguéli’s Humanist Vision: Islam, Sufism, and Universalism Meir Hatina 12 Feminism and the Divine Feminine: An Exploration of Female Elements in Ivan Aguéli and Subsequent Traditionalist Thought Marcia Hermansen Part Three Ivan Aguéli and Traditionalism 13 The Significance of Ivan Aguéli for the Traditionalist Movement Mark Sedgwick 14 What Is Esotericism in Art?: Ivan Aguéli’s Art versus the Traditionalists’ “Traditional Art” Patrick Ringgenberg Part Four Writings by Ivan Aguéli 15 Letter from Paris Ivan Aguéli 16 Letter from Ceylon Ivan Aguéli 17 The Enemies of Islam Abdul-Hadi El Maghrabi 18 Pure Art Abdul-Hâdi 19 Universality in Islam Abdul-Hâdi Notes Select Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index