The Siesta 1876

John Frederick Lewis completed this watercolor painting, titled "The Siesta," while living in Cairo during the mid-19th century. Lewis was part of a broader movement of Orientalist painters who depicted the "East" through a European lens, often romanticizing or exoticizing the cultures they encountered. This painting presents us with an intimate scene of a woman in repose, surrounded by rich fabrics and decorative objects. But what narratives are concealed beneath the surface of such scenes? Orientalist paintings often positioned women as passive objects of desire, reinforcing colonial power dynamics. In "The Siesta," is Lewis simply capturing a moment of tranquil beauty, or is he participating in the objectification of the subject and the exoticism of a culture? As viewers, we must question the intentions behind these representations and consider how they shape our understanding of both the artist and the woman in the painting. We have to consider how gender, class, and cultural difference are interwoven in such a way that may challenge and reinforce colonial power structures.