Last weekend was the official start of the Cherry Blossom Festival here in DC. As a part of the Festival the Smithsonian had a special exhibit on Japanese art. When I was there I also looked at various paintings from around the world. One thing I noticed after it was all done was that I didn't see any women represented in the Islamic Art section. I saw women represented in all cultures except this one. Now, granted, I gave the exhibits a cursory glance but I think I would have noticed them.

Personally I consider the female body a work of art (with various exceptions of course) but what about Islamic artists? Is the culture which produced these works so biased against women that they won’t even acknowledge them in art, or is it the opposite? Of course a bit sarcastically I thought that maybe there are no Islamic women (because who knows what’s hiding under a burka) and maybe they’re so viciously against homosexuality because they’re afraid their secret will get out. But following that logic lead me to believe that their children spring out of holes in the ground like dwarves which doesn’t seem too probable.

So, did I miss something here? Any art historians here?