Orientalism, Othering, and Leighton's Arab Hall

The reading before the Monday, February 11 visit to the Leighton House provided a holistic analysis of Orientalism, both in a political and an artistic sense. Linda Nochlin's "Imaginary Orient" examines the ways in which Westerners interpret the East, synthesizing two main theories of Orientalism: 1) Westerners have historically examined the East to reassert geopolitical superiority and 2) Western fascination with the Orient, or East, is primarily due to interest in the aesthetics of Eastern art, architecture, and fashion. I had learned in several political science and geopolitics courses back at Madison that Orientalism was a means in which Westerners could simplify their understanding of Eastern cultures; historically, Westerners have typically viewed the Orient as a primitive and less stable place, in terms of both economics and politics, than the East. Having read excerpts from Edward Said's Orientalism, I was familiar with much of what Nochlin addresses in interpreting Orientalism from a more political perspective, and one that asserted Western superiority over the East. I found this argument to be more well thought out than the assertion that much of Orientialism was merely about Western fascination with Eastern style. I especially did not buy this argument because in both the readings and the lecture slides, there is a significant amount of Orientalist art that showcases Eastern women being powerless and subjugated to empowered men, providing a condescending interpretation of the East, and the treatment of women in the Orient. Furthermore, contemporary forms of cultural appropriation often reject the idea that is acceptable for Western, and more specifically, White cultures, to showcase indigenous, Eastern, or tribal cultures, even if their art or fashion is deemed aesthetically pleasing. 

Therefore, I was certainly expecting much of the architecture and artwork of the Leighton House to assert Western societal and cultural superiority over the East. However, my assessment of Orientalism in the Leighton House, and specifically, the Arab Room really surprised me. I really did not see any paintings in the house that depicted powerless Eastern women, or any paintings depicting the people of "the Orient," really. The beauty of the Arab Hall really did make me sympathize with the assertion that Orientalism can be explored through the lens of Western appreciation with the Eastern art and design. The ornate wall designs, the rotunda domes, the gold finish of the room, and the tranquil water fountain really made me understand why someone of a Western background would want that in their house. Granted, our tour guide did suggest that certain artwork that was done on the tiles in Leighton's Arab Hall did not follow the traditional practices and symbolism of Islam that they were initially designed for, but there was very little in Leighton's Arab Hall that suggested Western superiority over the East. Being the wealthy and famous painter that Leighton was, it is clear that not every Westerner can afford to have the ornate depiction of the East in their own home, but the Arab Hall certainly gives credit to the assertion that Orientalism can be merely artistic, and does not need to be a mere act of cultural othering.