Figures in an eastern colonnade 

Hercules Brabazon Brabazon created this watercolor, Figures in an Eastern Colonnade, likely towards the end of the 19th century, a period when British artists frequently depicted the ‘Orient’. The image, with its colonnades and exotic figures, evokes a sense of the ‘East’ as seen through a Western lens. Brabazon belonged to a generation of artists for whom travel to the Middle East and North Africa was increasingly common, facilitated by the expansion of the British Empire and advances in transportation. But such images raise important questions about the politics of representation. How does Brabazon’s depiction reflect, or perhaps reinforce, prevailing attitudes towards the ‘Orient’ during this period? Does the image convey respect and understanding, or does it exoticize and ‘other’ its subjects? Art historians use travel writing, colonial records, and other visual materials to explore the complex dynamics of cultural exchange and representation in such works. What can we learn about the social and political context in which this image was created?