Fascinating essay! (Even the drenched and chafing bits.) I've always been interested in Orientalism in history and architecture, but had never known its origins and evolution in terms of visual artists. And Osman Hamdi Bey is a revelation -- a welcome antidote to all those haute porn Gerome canvases. Many thanks, Marc.
It’s a fascinating subject. Conventionally it starts with Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798. He brought 150 savants with him to record everything they saw. French art didn’t recover for a century. Thanks for reading, dear Charlotte!
I used to introduce Gerome to my undergrads as a vehicle for understanding the Rite of Spring. (I think there is still a museum dedicated to Nicholas Roerich on West 107th Street.) They were scandalized, not by the appropriation but by the skin in the game. We mistake the Rite as a work of modernism, but Stravinsky and Roerich, if I recall, toured eastern Russia in the back of a truck, and noted fragments that later became the music and costume of the Rite. We make much the same mistake about Bartok, although he at least was honest about appropriation.
My favorite Gerome is La Verite sortant, which I don't think one could call oriental or colonial.
Is the Ackerman the only catalogue raisonee? (I suspect it sucked the air out of the room, although the essay is....)
They were all part of the folk-revival movement, a symptom of the nationalism pandemic. As Sir Thomas Beecham said, “You should try anything once, except for incest and folk dancing.” It may not have been in response to The Rite. Thanks for the tip about the Roerich museum, which I did not know about. And La Vérité sortant de son puit is a monkey wrench in the corpus—an avant-garde allegory?
I went to see the exhibition yesterday (after catching a very crowded viewing of Raphael). I am in the city with my 17-yr-old daughter. We both read your excellent piece, which was a superb read before seeing the show.
Great to hear, dear Sara. I hope you two got to see it from the beginning! The French should do a big, definitive Oriantalism show soon, a multi-museum collaboration at the Grand Palais or something. And I'm now dying to go to Turkey to see more Hamdi. A young Turkish artist I know was surprised to learn that he was hanging at The Met. She said he's a national hero, less for his paintings than for being a museum builder. "Everyone knows about Hamdi back home." I would love to sick AI on a comprehensive global art database. Would it change our field? Duh!
Excellent article, Marc, insightful in unexpected ways - as always. Makes me want to read more on the subject.
Thanks so much, Diana. The Nochlin still holds up, despite my caveats.
Fascinating essay! (Even the drenched and chafing bits.) I've always been interested in Orientalism in history and architecture, but had never known its origins and evolution in terms of visual artists. And Osman Hamdi Bey is a revelation -- a welcome antidote to all those haute porn Gerome canvases. Many thanks, Marc.
I agree. I have been an advisor to the Dahesh museum for years. Take a look at their website. Marc - terrific piece. Thx.
Thanks, Gail. A colleague from the BMA left to work there ages ago. Too bad they don’t do shows in NYC anymore, but I understand.
It’s a fascinating subject. Conventionally it starts with Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798. He brought 150 savants with him to record everything they saw. French art didn’t recover for a century. Thanks for reading, dear Charlotte!
I used to introduce Gerome to my undergrads as a vehicle for understanding the Rite of Spring. (I think there is still a museum dedicated to Nicholas Roerich on West 107th Street.) They were scandalized, not by the appropriation but by the skin in the game. We mistake the Rite as a work of modernism, but Stravinsky and Roerich, if I recall, toured eastern Russia in the back of a truck, and noted fragments that later became the music and costume of the Rite. We make much the same mistake about Bartok, although he at least was honest about appropriation.
My favorite Gerome is La Verite sortant, which I don't think one could call oriental or colonial.
Is the Ackerman the only catalogue raisonee? (I suspect it sucked the air out of the room, although the essay is....)
They were all part of the folk-revival movement, a symptom of the nationalism pandemic. As Sir Thomas Beecham said, “You should try anything once, except for incest and folk dancing.” It may not have been in response to The Rite. Thanks for the tip about the Roerich museum, which I did not know about. And La Vérité sortant de son puit is a monkey wrench in the corpus—an avant-garde allegory?
Great article!
'the oldest power of all: the pull of beauty'
I'm writing about the poet Rilke, who traveled everywhere, and was mostly without a home for his short life.
To me, his awareness of beauty crossed boundaries, cultures and time-periods.
A true ambassador of beauty.
Thank-you!
Very good to read and see this attentive and detailed essay. I hope you are recovering well from your robot intervention.
I'm much improved, dear Barbara. Thanks!
I went to see the exhibition yesterday (after catching a very crowded viewing of Raphael). I am in the city with my 17-yr-old daughter. We both read your excellent piece, which was a superb read before seeing the show.
Great to hear, dear Sara. I hope you two got to see it from the beginning! The French should do a big, definitive Oriantalism show soon, a multi-museum collaboration at the Grand Palais or something. And I'm now dying to go to Turkey to see more Hamdi. A young Turkish artist I know was surprised to learn that he was hanging at The Met. She said he's a national hero, less for his paintings than for being a museum builder. "Everyone knows about Hamdi back home." I would love to sick AI on a comprehensive global art database. Would it change our field? Duh!