Orientalism In Art Analysis

This chapter will explore Orientalism and Orientalism in Art and Design. Orientalism is a label used by art historian’s literature and cultural academics for the study on aspects of the Middle East or Asian cultures. Orientalist painting, which portrayed more precisely “the middle East” was of one of the many specialisms of the 19th century academic art and the litterateurs of European countries took a similar interest in oriental matters. It is interesting to note that this study of the Middle East is often a study of ‘otherness’ being that the art and culture of the Middle East is seen as ‘other’ in western culture. Sometimes the culture of the ‘Orient’ is appropriated and used out of context by artist designers.

Figure 1

In figure 1, it can be seen that what is now the middle East had until the early 20th century been known to the West as the Near East. The British had first labelled the Middle East as a geopolitical and cartographic area through their imperial maps. Up until this point the region had never been clearly distinguished from “the East” or “the Orient”.

Since Edwards Said’s publication on his book ‘Orientalism’ more academic institutions have

This painting is a represents the erotic fantasies of ‘Turkish’ bathing women even though Ingres had never been to Turkey.

By the nineteenth century, ‘Oriental’ women had become the converted prototype of what sexually permissible in an inhibited and repressive age. A common technique of Orientalist painting was to reveal a women’s half clothed or naked body set in front of a beautiful interior. This resulted in the body to be more alluring and arousing. The reason for this is because the viewer would then feel like they could penetrate the interior and instead gaze at these ‘oriental’ women who would usually be either be in a cloak or veil. Hidden from one’s view.

Figure