Thebes Colosseums, Memnon and Sesostris (study) 1856

Jean-Léon Gérôme created this painting, Thebes Colosseums, Memnon and Sesostris, as a study sometime in the 19th century. It depicts the famous Colossi of Memnon in Egypt, but it also reveals a great deal about the culture in which it was made. Gérôme was a celebrated academic painter in France, and this work exemplifies the 19th-century European fascination with the “Orient.” Notice how the painting emphasizes the stark, monumental nature of the statues against the desert landscape. The camels in the foreground are a picturesque detail, reinforcing the exoticism of the scene for a European audience. Paintings like this contributed to a romanticized, and often inaccurate, vision of non-Western cultures. Understanding this context requires us to research not just the artwork itself but also the broader social and political attitudes of the time. By doing so, we can better understand the complex relationship between art, power, and representation.