Orientalism and the Romantic Movement

La Grande Odalisque (1814)  Jean Dominque Ingres

 

Orientalism is a term with a wide definition and is applied generally to denote the study and depiction of the ‘Orient’ by the ‘West’. The key term here is “by the West” as this is a main topic, the “western (male) gaze.” Most European experts on what was known as ‘The Orient’ had never actually been and the term can refer to anywhere East of Europe so it could include any imagined interpretation of Turkey, India, China, or Japan.In art, however, Orientalism is more commonly used specifically to refer to a style of painting that developed in the 19th Century and which depicted the region of the world now known as the Middle East: the regions of West Asia, North Africa, and the south-eastern tip of Europe. In the Napoleonic era of the early 19th century, the genre of Orientalism referred to a specific style of painting that depicted a region we now call the Middle East. Namely, West Asia, North Africa, and the most southern-eastern parts of Europe.

Massacre at Chios, Eugene Delacroix (1824)

In the early 19th century European painters rendered the violent and cruel battle scenes of The Greek War of Independence (1821-30) and the French-Algerian conquest (1830’s). Eugéne Delacroix mastered works of military brutality such as Massacre at Chios (1824) and Death of Sardanapalus(1828). These paintings embodied a human pathos-driven appeal of desperation around violence, sex and war. The Western artists of the time depicted emotionally charged scenes and romantic themes that showcase the uncontrollable forces of love, lust, disease, war, and death. Within this movement was a new genre of Orientalism which began to shape the Western interpretation of the Far East by the artists' use of opulent interiors, objects and settings of exoticism and mysterious intrigue. Paintings such as La Grande Odalisque (1814) by Ingres or accessorize exotic looking and erotic settings with domesticated large animals, adjacent to female slaves or concubines with pleasing features reclining nude. These tableaus constructed either violence or a harem of sorts and both ideal in the sense of 19th century male gaze ideal. This appropriation in art of this far away land tries on what it likes, rejects or harms what it doesn’t. This movement towards romanticizing this other culture and place was contingent on being able to abuse it. Through rich colors and dramatic subjects and ornate, exotic details far from a Western reality.

The work in this genre is plays with lawless fantasy, a pillaging of spoils, objectifying and sexualizing their allure while leaning into an intoxicating abuse of power. Paintings of this time featured lavish Middle eastern patterns and interiors with intricate designs it sparked lushness and fascination from the 19c world. Mosaics, Islamic art textiles, and draping of exquisite fabrics informed the opinion of lushness and bred fascination. The Aesthetic movement in Britain in the 1860s-80s took inspiration from the Oriental interiors of this genre. 

Osman Hamdi Bey was an Ottoman artist from Istanbul and professional of many roles. He studied in Paris and adopted a European academic art style yet he painted more realistic scenes that reflected his experience. For example, Western painters of the time depicted orientalist scenes of nude women in harems and overly sexualized. However, paintings of Western (white) women of the Romantic movement were portrayed modestly and often surrounded by nature, ethereal, childlike or matronly and modest. Conversely, Hamdi Ray painted scenes from the Ottoman Empire with woman engaged in educational activities such as reading, playing instruments and generally being useful. This realistic and natural depiction of "Middle Eastern art" challenged the Western ideal and the validity of the Orientalist genre at all.

Le bain au Harem (c. 1830), Philippe-Jacques van Bree

 

Lesson at the Mosque Door (1891) Osman Hamdi Bey

Image Sources:

https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/orientalism-in-nineteenth-century-art 

https://www.mayfairgallery.com/blog/orientalist-paintings-19th-century-fantasies-east/ 

https://howtotalkaboutarthistory.co.uk/artist-feature/artist-feature-osman-hamdi-bey/