Late Afternoon, Tunisia 1978

Frank Mason made this oil painting titled "Late Afternoon, Tunisia," sometime in the late 20th century. It shows a sun-drenched North African scene, likely painted *en plein air*, with a domed building and cypress trees under a clear sky. Mason, who trained at the Art Students League in New York, developed his skills in the classical tradition. He was part of a conservative artistic movement in the post-war era. The painting's tranquil subject matter and impressionistic brushwork recall earlier generations of European artists who were drawn to the Maghreb in search of exotic and picturesque scenes. The painting invites us to consider the complex relationship between Western artists and the cultures they depict. By looking at travel accounts, period photography, and exhibition histories, we can better understand how the "Orient" was constructed in the Western imagination, and the role that paintings like this played in that process.