Odalisque 

Delphin Enjolras painted this Odalisque in France, likely towards the end of the 19th century. The "odalisque," a term referring to a female slave or concubine in a Turkish seraglio, became a popular subject in European art during the 19th century. It offered artists a way to explore themes of exoticism and female sensuality. The European fascination with the "Orient" and the female nude was intensified by the imperial context. French society was eager to consume images that reinforced its sense of cultural superiority. Enjolras’s painting is a particularly intriguing example of this Orientalist trend. Art historians examine aspects such as the cultural politics of representation, the male gaze, and the construction of Western identity. These types of resources help us to gain a better understanding of how art like this both reflects and reinforces the values of its time.