Orientalism
Mar 6, 2009 23:20:29 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 6, 2009 23:20:29 GMT
In art, the term refers to:
the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, and can also refer to a sympathetic stance towards the region by a writer or other person. An "Orientalist" may be a person engaged in these activities, but is also the traditional term for any scholar of Oriental studies. (Wikipedia. Go HERE for much more on the subject.)
Looking at the photographs posted by Baz & his wife (look under "Egypt" threads), I was struck by how many of those pictures fit my mental image. But how many of those mental images are based on fact, and how many on art?
Certainly the East has captured the imagination of painters and other artists at least as far back as the Renaissance. Depictions of Biblical themes were a rich opportunity to show the mysterious and opulent Middle East, whether real or imagined.
And painters of the 19th century realized and exploited the East as a goldmine for lush eroticism. It was a perfect opportunity for them to exhibit these erotic paintings publicly, as they could be portrayed as educational themes, whereas eroticism closer to home could not.
Frederich Arthur Bridgman (<--click) was one painter who fully mined the Eastern vein, as were
Delacroix
, Ingres 
, and many others.
the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, and can also refer to a sympathetic stance towards the region by a writer or other person. An "Orientalist" may be a person engaged in these activities, but is also the traditional term for any scholar of Oriental studies. (Wikipedia. Go HERE for much more on the subject.)
Looking at the photographs posted by Baz & his wife (look under "Egypt" threads), I was struck by how many of those pictures fit my mental image. But how many of those mental images are based on fact, and how many on art?
Certainly the East has captured the imagination of painters and other artists at least as far back as the Renaissance. Depictions of Biblical themes were a rich opportunity to show the mysterious and opulent Middle East, whether real or imagined.
And painters of the 19th century realized and exploited the East as a goldmine for lush eroticism. It was a perfect opportunity for them to exhibit these erotic paintings publicly, as they could be portrayed as educational themes, whereas eroticism closer to home could not.
Frederich Arthur Bridgman (<--click) was one painter who fully mined the Eastern vein, as were
Delacroix
, Ingres , and many others.
