Friday, February 22, 2019

Orientalism in the Leighton House


Orientalism in the Leighton House
            Linda Nochlin’s chapter, “The Imaginary Orient,” in her book The Politics of Vision (1989) discusses how 19th and 20th century artists interpreted and portrayed the Middle East in their works. Nochlin points out that these artists leave out much of the visual truth in their work and instead focus on a portrayal of the east that reinforces an idea of European superiority.
            The house of the nineteenth century artist, Frederic Leighton, is a historical monument to an era of time that dealt with the West both admiring Eastern Art for its aesthetic pleasure while at the same time reinforcing poor assumptions about the people and culture of the Middle East. A tour with a passionate and incredibly knowledgeable guide at the Leighton House gives insight into the life of Leighton; he was a well-traveled man that respected and learned from the styles of other cultures and eras. Leighton consistently said that he painted in the classical style of Michelangelo; his prestigious canon and accolades prove that he was a talented individual who should be respected and is worth studying; however, his oriental room provides the contemporary viewer an insight into the orientalism of the 19th and 20th centuries that Nochlin argues should be avoided in the canon of art.
            Leighton’s oriental room is a beautifully detailed room with a small, peaceful, fountain in the middle. In Leighton’s day, he used it to entertain visitors in a sublime setting. Where it remains an awe invoking room to visit, it is important to acknowledge the absence of any true Middle Eastern cultural significance within the room. It is simply a sumptuous room meant to impress guests. Where it may not seem like anything is missing from this room at first glance, through Nochlin’s argument of the problem of oriental art, it is our duty as contemporary viewers to see through the veil of orientalism and acknowledge that the Middle Eastern culture is much more than just sumptuous, decorative, rooms; the Middle East is complex and beautiful place that should be viewed and admired for much more than just how artists in the 19th and 20th centuries wanted viewers to see.
           
 
 Pryce, Will. Leighton House Museum. 2018, Time Outhttps://www.timeout.com/london/museums/leighton-house-museum.

Reference
Linda Nochlin, “The Imaginary Orient,” The Politics of Vision 1989

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