One Dirham for a Ride Through the Desert 

Giulio Rosati painted "One Dirham for a Ride Through the Desert" in the late 19th or early 20th century. Rosati, an Italian Orientalist painter, never actually visited the Middle East, a fact that complicates readings of his work. Orientalist paintings such as this one offer romanticized, often exoticized, views of "the East," shaped by Western fantasies and colonial perspectives. We see a transaction occurring, but what power dynamics are at play here? Who is being represented, and for whom? The painting raises questions about authenticity, cultural representation, and the gaze. While seemingly benign, the image perpetuates a narrative of the East as a place of exotic encounters and commercial exchange. Consider how the artist’s own cultural context shapes the narrative, and how that shapes the identity and experience of the people depicted.