Ariana Lotfi

Romanticizing the Orient: A study of Delacroixs Women of Algiers

I.

Thesis statement: Delacroixs Women of Algiers is an Orientalist painting shown through

his use of Romanticism of the painted subjects in addition to his fascination with the
foreign qualities of the Eastern world.

II.

Eugene Delacroix is a French Romantic Artist born in France.

He was considered the leader of the French Romantic School.
He was a multi-talented artist and used a variety of tools and methods.
He had a great imaginative power, and used nature to help in his art.

III.

Analysis of the formal techniques and compositional elements of the art.

His process began when he was invited to visit Morocco for four months.
Through his use of composition, color palette, lighting, and loose brush technique
Delacroix actively gives a sensual and serene tone to the painting.
He viewed the subjects in their bright clothing as carrying a sense of charm and
eroticism.

IV.

Contextual understanding: Romanticism and Orientalism.

Romanticism is an art movement that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing
inspiration, subjectivity, and the importance of the individual.
Orientalism is the representation of Eastern countries in a stereotypical way that is
regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude.
The subjects were normal women whom Delacroix projected the erotic and exciting
nature of his warped European perspective on to.
Through this perspective, Delacroix romanticized the orient.

V.

Other opinion: The Women of Algiers isnt considered an Oriental piece.

Yes it was. Created from Delcroixs perspective of the Orient, westerners who painted
the Arab world are done through their biased eyes from being a citizen of a colonial
power/country.
Though he visited and saw the country first hand, it doesnt that mean that he now carries
an unbiased view of the culture; he still has his skewed perspective because of where he
came from.

VI.

Through his European perspective, Delacroix romanticized this part of the Eastern world
by viewing the unfamiliar culture as exotic. His life in a colonial power greatly
influenced how he views outside cultures, and while his at-a-glance travels through North
Africa gave him an inside look at a new culture, Delacroix still was unable to shake his
colonial view of the East and showed this through both his technique and the way he
portrayed his subjects within the painting.
Bibliography

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Prideaux, Tom. The World of Delacroix, 1798-1863,. New York, New York: Time,
1966.
Rosenblum, Robert, and H. W. Janson. 19th-century Art. Rev. and Updated ed.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2005.
Vogt, Adolf Max. "Art and the Range of Civilization." In The Nineteenth Century,
179-81. New York CIty, New York: Universe Books, 1989.