Chinese tuinman, zittend in een landschap c. 1731

Francois Boucher created this drawing, "Chinese tuinman, zittend in een landschap," using pen and ink. It now resides in the Rijksmuseum. Boucher, a leading Rococo painter, never traveled to China. The drawing reflects Europe's fascination with an idealized, exoticized version of the East, known as Chinoiserie. The image presents a 'Chinese gardener' seated in a landscape, but it's more a projection of European fantasies than a realistic depiction. What does it mean to imagine someone else's identity? How does the power dynamic shape these representations? We see the gardener in what Europeans would imagine to be traditional clothing. He seems peaceful, almost serene. This constructed image omits the complex realities of Chinese society, reducing it to a decorative aesthetic. It presents the East through a Western lens, revealing more about European desires and perceptions than about the culture it attempts to portray. Consider how this artwork, while beautiful, perpetuates a one-dimensional view, stripping away the complexities of identity and culture.