Orientalist Paintings: Western Fantasies and Colonial Narratives

The Start of Orientalism in Art

During the Romantic period, there was a rising interest in the East regions and their cultures by Western artists, especially after Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt, which attracted Western travelers. Both the artists who visited and some who interestingly did not visit the areas of the Orient, countries of Asia, and North Africa, portrayed what they saw, or did not see, in constructed images in their paintings.

These representations were fueled by the colonial discourse that expressed the Occident’s superiority over the Orient by describing it as exotic, primitive, and uncivilized.

According to Edward Said, Orientalism is a "style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between "the Orient" and (most of the time) "the Occident."

Orientalism is a discourse to facilitate colonizing the Orient lands.

At the time when Orientalism appeared, Europeans had little contact with the East. They were first presented to the area and the people through these representations and distorted colonial images. "The Orient," therefore, was marked, to this day, by an inferiority and exoticism that played the role of a pretext for colonial operations. Points of similarities, such as cinemas were not reported

Exoticism and Colonial Narratives in Depictions of the East

Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa 1798

Antoine-Jean Gros - An Orientalist portrayal of a Western leader as a savior in the East

This painting was created to show Napoleon as a merciful leader in order to improve his image and deny claims that he had poisoned plague victims during his retreat from Syria. It also aimed to counter reports of French cruelty in Jaffa and was displayed at the Salon de Paris on 18 September 1804. The light and color are used in this painting to create a luminous aura that highlights Napoleon.

The Massacre at Chios (1824)

Eugene Delacroix A Romantic statement that even violence is exotic and different in the East.

In The Massacre at Chios, Eugène Delacroix uses the horrors of war in several Romantic themes such as human suffering, uncontrollable violence, and extreme emotion. The painting, an iconic example of Orientalist art, dramatizes the brutal events while simultaneously reinforcing Western misconceptions of the East as a land of pitiless violence and chaos. Through this depiction, Delacroix contributes to the narrative of the inherently brutal East to appeal to Western fascination with conflict and destruction in foreign lands. This painting says: Western violence is better than the Eastern one.

The Death of Sardanapalus

Painting by Eugène Delacroix

Besides the previous painting by Delacroix, this work adds to the Orientalist view of the Orient, which was reduced to an image of a place of unbridled sensuality, wilful violence, and extreme emotions. The details of the painting are almost disturbing, with unusual exotic sexual activities in the same space as a worker controlling his horse. These exotic images are the only images that were presented to the Western populations as a description of the East, which created a sense of superiority that haunts the Easterners to this day.

Arab Chiefs Challenging each other to Single Combat under the Ramparts of a City 1852

Théodore Chassériau

The painting Arab Chiefs Challenging to Combat under a City Ramparts (1852) by Théodore Chassériau starkly illustrates the theme of violence and cruelty to depict Arabs as uncivilized. By showcasing a brutal confrontation between two Arab chiefs, with a dead soldier lying between them, Chassériau emphasizes the supposed barbarism of Eastern cultures. This portrayal reinforces the colonial narrative that the West's intervention is essential to bring order and civilization to the perceived chaos of the East

The Battle of Nazareth (1801)

Painting by Baron Antoine Jean Gros

Antoine-Jean Gros never visited the East. However, he created The Battle of Nazareth (1801) as part of a broader propaganda effort to glorify Napoleon's campaigns in Egypt and Syria and help the imperial agendas. Despite the failure of the Syrian campaign, the painting celebrates a French victory, depicting the triumph of 500 French soldiers over 6,000 Turks in a confrontation on April 8, 1799. Gros' work showcases Napoleon’s heroism, contributing to the mythic narrative surrounding his military endeavors.

Slave Market

Jean-Léon Gérôme

The Slave Market

Jean-Léon Gérôme

The Orientalist message was that the Orient is a land of exotic beauty and sensuality, alluring yet primitive. The Eastern cultures are uncivilized and in need of Western intervention. The Eastern identities were reduced to simplistic, sexualized images of both the men and the women, and the Western interventions are aid to these populations and not imperialism.

The harem paintings A fictional portrayal of Eastern women

Staying in the same theme of never seen it but surely can report on it, a perfect example is how Eastern women were represented.

In the 19th century, Western artists frequently depicted Eastern women, particularly those in harems, despite never having direct access to these women. The paintings often portrayed harem life as a place of sensuality and subjugation. They fueled stereotypes of the East as uncivilized and needing Western intervention. The Western men were prohibited from entering the private quarters of these women, which prevented them from unveiling their subjects, yet they relied on imagination and second-hand accounts to create their works. These depictions, filled with themes of violence and submission, were not only a reflection of Western fantasies but also served as a tool to reinforce colonial narratives. The portrayals of veiled women and exotic harems thus became a symbol of the West’s perceived superiority, masking the real impact of colonial rule on native cultures.

Dance of the Almeh (1863)

Jean-Leon Gerome (1824-1904)

Jean-Léon Gérôme's Dance of the Almeh (1863) exemplifies the Orientalist portrayal of Eastern women as submissive figures. The painting shows a young woman dancing in a Cairo coffee shop, and surrounded by male onlookers. Dressed in sheer clothing that reveals much of her body, she appears emotionally detached, her face expressionless. The men, dressed in colorful and local attire, enjoy the performance, while the woman seems trapped between them, symbolizing her lack of freedom. The painting suggests the Arab Woman's victimhood, reinforcing the narrative of female subjugation.

Women and an Old Man in Harem

Walter Charles Horsley

Walter Charles Horsley's painting Women and an Old Man in Harem portrays Eastern women that he had never seen because simply he never had access to them. He used his imagination and second-hand accounts to produce his work. While the architectural details may be accurate, the depiction of the women is not. The inclusion of a blonde woman, whose features align more with Western ideals, highlights Horsley's limited knowledge and suggests that his portrayal of Eastern women draws more from his own society than from the reality of the harem.

A harem interior (1846)

by Wilhelm Heinrich Schlesinger

L'habillage 1895

Henri Pierre Picou (French, 1824-1895)

Murder in the Serail 1874

Fernand Cormon

Piscine dans un harem

Jean-Léon Gérôme

The Toilet in the Seraglio

Theodore Chasseriau

Before the Verdict, 1890.

Franz Eisenhut

Going through the paintings above, one can't help but notice a theme of sexualization marked with exoticism in the Orientalist paintings. This was presented to the West as the only accurate image of the East, one story that was reported repeatedly until it was instilled in the minds of the West and East populations equally.

A Visit, A Harem Interior, 1860

Henriette Brown

In contrast to all the Harem paintings by men, this work is by a woman painter who, according to the culture, was allowed to get access to the Harem. This painting does not indulge in the exaggerated sensuality or stereotypes found in male depictions, but instead offers a more genuine portrayal of the women, capturing their lives with authenticity rather than relying on imagination or second-hand observations.