Oriental Landscape c. 1845

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps made this drawing, Oriental Landscape, with pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over graphite underdrawing on paper. Orientalism in French art of the 19th century, was more than just a style; it reflected France's colonial ambitions and its fascination with the cultures it sought to dominate. Decamps never actually visited the Middle East, yet this did not stop him from becoming one of the most influential Orientalist painters. Paintings of the "Orient" were popular at the time with the rise of colonialism and sought to construct an image of the Middle East as exotic, mysterious, and timeless, often ignoring the realities of life in these regions. Analyzing Decamps' drawing, we can question how it might have perpetuated stereotypes or served the political interests of his time. As art historians, we consult travel literature, political documents, and studies of colonial history in order to better understand this complicated relationship between art and society.