Tharwat Okasha’s Writings as a Model in Visual Arts Terminology: A Critical Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to analyze Tharwat Okasha’s contributions to the formulation of visual arts terminology through a set of central questions. Chief among them are: What are the methodological and aesthetic features that characterize his terminological constructions? What factors enabled his work to overcome certain linguistic and conceptual challenges that have hindered similar attempts? The study also examines and analyzes a selected sample of his terms to assess their conceptual maturity and terminological effectiveness.

Methods: The study adopts a comparative descriptive approach, incorporating tools from analytical methodology. It investigates selected terminological models coined by Tharwat Okasha, comparing them with proposals by the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo and with certain formulations by the Lebanese critic Bishr Faris. The analysis covers linguistic, contextual, and cultural dimensions of the terms.

Results: The study concludes that well-founded individual efforts—such as those of Tharwat Okasha—represent successful models capable of addressing the existing challenges. Comparative analysis revealed that his terminological formulations are marked by linguistic precision and cultural sensitivity to the concepts of visual arts, which enhanced their clarity and applicability.

Conclusions: Tharwat Okasha’s terminological corpus constitutes a distinguished reference in the domain of Arabic art terminology, given its methodological clarity and specialized knowledge foundation. It is therefore worthy of further analysis, systematization, and emulation. The study recommends re-examining this experience within academic and institutional projects concerned with the standardization of artistic terminology and with the development of specialized lexicons to establish unified norms for formulation, derivation, and translation.