#orientalism

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin

Here is a Masterpiece Story to honor our beloved cats. The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Weguelin presents an imaginative interpretation of an...

Alexandra Kiely 27 May 2023

Romanticism

The Orientalism of Eugène Delacroix – Beware of the Colors!

Eugène Delacroix was a French artist who was seen as the leader of the French Romantic school of art from the beginning of his career. 19th-century...

Zuzanna Stańska 26 April 2023

Artist Stories

An Orientalist from the Orient: Theodoros Rallis

Not every Orientalist painter journeyed to the Orient or the Levant to observe and interact with the socio-cultural fabric they intended to portray...

Erol Degirmenci 3 November 2022

Alexandre Cabanel, Cleopatra, 1887, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cleopatra by Alexandre Cabanel

Queen Cleopatra is a popular subject today – as she was in the late 19th century. Alexandre Cabanel’s Cleopatra explores a single moment of her...

James W Singer 3 November 2022

Art History 101

Orientalism – Quick Explanation

19th-century Europeans were fascinated by the Near East and North Africa. Everything began roughly around the time of the Napoleonic invasion of...

Magda Michalska 3 November 2022

Edwin Lord Weeks, Temples and Bathing Ghat at Benares, ca. 1883-1885. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Art Travels

Memoirs of India by Edwin Lord Weeks

Edwin Lord Weeks was a remarkable American painter and one of the most celebrated Orientalists of his time. He lived a coveted life of travel and...

Maya M. Tola 24 October 2022

Artist Stories

Osman Hamdi: The First and Last Ottoman Orientalist

The first and last Orientalist painter of the Ottoman Empire is Osman Hamdi Bey. Born in modern-day Turkey, educated in Paris, and highly regarded as...

Irina Diana Calu 24 October 2022

Art Travels

Le Mayeur and the Island of Gods

Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès, better known as Jean Le Mayeur was a skilled Impressionist who was active around the early 20th century.

Maya M. Tola 5 September 2022

Realism

Eid Al-Fitr – Islamic Prayer in Art

The distinctive ritual of Islamic prayer, known as namaz (in Urdu) or salah (in Arabic) has captivated the imagination of many Orientalist painters.

Maya M. Tola 2 April 2022

Cubism

Picasso and His 15 Versions of Les Femmes d’Alger

When the Algerian War of Independence began on 1st November 1954, Pablo Picasso felt an urge to somehow respond to the violence and suffering that...

Magda Michalska 3 October 2021

Museum Stories

Highlights of the Clark Art Institute

The Clark Art Institute, often referred to as “The Clark,” was founded in 1950 to house the extensive art collection of Sterling and Francine...

Anastasia Manioudaki 15 October 2020

Erotica

Best Male Nudes in Art History (NSFW!)

Nudity in art first became significant in ancient Greece. The athletic competitions at religious festivals celebrated the male body as an embodiment...

Anuradha Sroha 18 July 2020