Prentbriefkaart aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1915

This is a postcard to Philip Zilcken, penned by the orientalist painter Etienne Dinet on May 23rd, 1908. Dinet, a prominent figure in the French Orientalist movement, is writing to a fellow artist. He is likely thanking Zilcken for an article. What's striking is the institutional backdrop against which this seemingly personal exchange unfolds. Orientalist art was deeply embedded in the French colonial project. Dinet, despite his genuine affection for Algerian culture, operated within a system that exoticized and romanticized the East for a Western audience. His art was exhibited and celebrated in the salons and galleries of Paris, spaces that both reflected and reinforced prevailing colonial attitudes. To truly understand this postcard, we must look at the complex interplay between art, colonialism, and personal expression. Accessing archives, exhibition records, and critical essays can help us to understand the social conditions that gave rise to it.