Noah's Drunkenness 1902

James Tissot painted this watercolor, "Noah's Drunkenness," in the late 19th century. It depicts a scene from the Book of Genesis, where Noah, drunk and naked in his tent, is covered by two of his sons while the third mocks him. This image presents several layers of social commentary relevant to Tissot’s time in France. The conservative interpretation of the story, common in European cultures, used Noah's curse upon Ham's descendants to justify racial hierarchies and the institution of slavery. Tissot, however, was working in a period where such views were increasingly contested. The artist trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, an institution that embodied both the academic tradition and the burgeoning avant-garde. An understanding of the social and political interpretations of biblical stories like this requires examining theological debates, colonial history, and critical race studies of the period. Art history thrives on interdisciplinary research, revealing the complex ways in which art reflects and shapes our understanding of society.