The Procession Of The Mahmal Through The Streets Of Cairo 

Ludwig Deutsch created "The Procession Of The Mahmal Through The Streets Of Cairo" using oil paint on canvas. Oil paint, with its slow drying time, allowed Deutsch to blend colors and create subtle gradations of light and shadow. You can see how he built up layers of paint to give depth to the crowd scenes and architectural details. The application of paint, from thick impasto to thin glazes, enhances the realism and texture of the scene, capturing the vibrant atmosphere of the Cairo streets. But we should remember that Deutsch was an Austrian artist who painted mostly in Paris, and never actually visited the Middle East. So what we are seeing here is a projection of an imagined scene, constructed for a European audience who had a taste for Orientalist fantasies. Considering the materials and methods used brings us closer to understanding the cultural and political context of the artwork, challenging notions of authenticity and artistic representation.