• The Problem with Exoticism: A Critical Look at Orientalist Paintings

    The Problem with Exoticism: A Critical Look at Orientalist Paintings

    19th Century Italian Orientalist Masterpiece Painting “Four Women In The Harem” c. 1880, in the Circle of Rudolf Ernst. Have you ever looked at an old painting of a lavish palace, veiled women laying on silk cushions, or mysterious desert landscapes and thought, “Wow, so magical”? You’re not alone. Orientalist paintings, especially those from 19th-century Europe,…