Odalisque 

Iosif Iser created this oil painting, titled "Odalisque". The term "odalisque" refers to a female slave or concubine in a Turkish seraglio and as a subject in painting, it offered artists the chance to explore themes of exoticism, sensuality, and the Orient, often reinforcing colonial power dynamics. Iser was a Romanian artist who lived through turbulent times. Born in 1881, he lived through the rise of modernism, two world wars, and the emergence of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. So what might the social meaning of the odalisque be at the point he made this painting? Is this simply an exotic subject, or something more complex? What can we say about the way the artist positions himself in relation to the history of Orientalist art? What are the politics of painting an odalisque in Romania during the interwar period? The art historian might look into exhibition records, critical reviews, and the artist's biography to understand its place in his oeuvre, and its reception at the time.