Portret van Abd al-Kader en het kasteel in Pau 1847 - 1887

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this print, "Portret van Abd al-Kader en het kasteel in Pau," employing lithography. The print depicts Abd al-Kader, an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century. The portrait reflects the entangled relationship between colonizer and colonized. Abd al-Kader, despite leading the resistance, was admired in Europe for his nobility and intellect. This admiration, however, existed within a colonial context, where the "civilized" colonizer could appreciate the "noble" resistance of the colonized, all the while justifying colonial domination. The print seems to straddle admiration and exoticization, reflecting the complex dynamics of power and representation inherent in the colonial encounter. It invites us to reflect on the narratives we construct about resistance and the gaze through which we view those who challenge power.