Amehs Playing Chess in a Café 

Editor: Here we have Jean-Léon Gérôme’s "Amehs Playing Chess in a Café," an oil painting which presents a tableau of figures in what appears to be a Middle Eastern café. I am really drawn to the stark contrast between the light and shadow. What is your take on it? Curator: This painting is a classic example of Orientalism, a 19th-century Western approach to depicting "the Orient" that was often infused with colonial power dynamics. The dramatic lighting, exotic details, and the passive gazes of some figures all contribute to a sense of "otherness". But let's consider the perspective; who do you think is the intended viewer here, and what might Gérôme be implying about their relationship to the scene? Editor: I guess it would be someone in Europe who knows nothing about the region. It’s interesting that the women are the primary subjects in this space, since the West tends to focus on men in these orientalist paintings. Are they just figures being observed? Curator: Exactly, this is worth discussing further. While they appear to be engaged in their own activity, consider how the women are staged for the Western gaze. The setting could also be coded as a harem fantasy that further complicates readings of identity, gender and power here. What are the racial and gender stereotypes involved? Are those stereotypes reinforced, challenged, or used subversively? Editor: I didn’t even consider the implications of that kind of voyeurism initially. The way you framed those questions has changed how I view the painting completely. Thanks! Curator: It's important to recognize these narratives and the role art has played in constructing them. This has changed my views too.