Jean Léon Gérôme: Orientalist genre depictions of the female and male worlds through the perspective of a westerner

V obdobju 19. stoletja so se evropski narodi intenzivno širili na področje Orienta. Na osvojenih ozemljih so vzpostavili kulturno politično prevlado nad manj plemenitimi narodi in razvili vrsto podob, ki so jasno razmejevale zahodnjake od vzhodnjakov. Vzpostavljene dogme so zahodnjakom pripomogle k utrditvi oblasti, prodrle pa so tudi na področje umetnosti in zaznamovale slikarje, ki so upodabljali Orient. Med takšne se je uvrstil tudi Jean Léon Gérôme, ki se je uveljavil kot eden vodilnih francoskih umetnikov druge polovice 19. stoletja. Večino opusa je posvetil upodabljanju orientalskih motivov, za katere se je navdušili že ob prvem srečanju z Bližnjim vzhodom. Pozneje se je umetnik še večkrat odpravil v bližnje sredozemske kraje, pri tem pa venomer beležil svet okoli sebe. Na potovanjih po Orientu je zbiral najrazličnejše rekvizite. Ti so mu ob vrnitvi domov poleg lastnih skic služili kot pripomočki za natančno preučevanje in izvedbo umetnin. Pri slikanju se je pogosto oprl še na fotografije prijateljev, ki so ga spremljali na številnih odpravah po Orientu in beležili najrazličnejše motive. Tako kot vsi drugi orientalisti se je Gérôme zanimal za svet nenavadnosti, ki jo je bilo moč opaziti le na Vzhodu. V sklopu motivov s potovanj je izdelal kar nekaj portretov. Najpogosteje je beležil moške in ženske pri vsakdanjih opravilih in tako za seboj pustil neprecenljivo zbirko orientalskega žanra. Kot zahodnemu umetniku moškega spola mu je svet moških predstavljal dostopnejše področje raziskovanja kot svet vzhodnih žensk. Moške je vsakodnevno srečeval ob izvajanju molitev, plesov, ob druženju in na bazarju, kljub temu pa v njihov svet ni bil povabljen niti ni želel biti del tega. Kot pravi orientalist je opazoval drugačnost ljudi in to z razdalje. V nasprotju z vzhodnjaki je ženske največkrat prikazal pri kopelih v termah ali pa kot sužnje, namenjene prodaji. Čeprav nas je z izjemno precizno izdelanimi arhitekturnimi ozadji, vanje postavljenimi figurami in detajli skušal prepričati, da se je z intimnim ženskim svetom dobro seznanil, pa temu ni bilo tako. Upodobitve so večinoma predstavljale zgolj domišljijsko podobo, saj se do realnosti moški niso mogli prebiti. Gérôme je tako ostajal razpet med realnostjo in utopijo, vsekakor pa v življenju vzhodnjakov ni bil zaželen. Orientalske ženske in moški so zanj predstavljali zanimiv motiv, s katerim je večkrat uspešno razstavljal na pariškem Salonu. V času svojega življenja je prejel številna odlikovanja, še danes pa velja za enega najboljših akademskih umetnikov, ki so upodabljali ta nenavaden, očarljiv svet.The period of the 19th century was marked by the intensive expansion of Europe into the Orient. In this area, more noble nations performed cultural political dominance over less noble ones. In order to consolidate the idea of power and justify their actions, they developed a series of ideologies that clearly distinguished Westerners from Easterners. The established visions of Orient were so deeply rooted in the minds that they also penetrated in the field of art and affected many artists. Certainly they had a strong impact on Jean Leon Gérôme, who represents one of the leading French artists of the second half of the 19th century. He devoted most of his work to oriental themes. His interest for such themes became more intensive during his first trip to the countries of the Middle East. Later on he visited the nearby Mediterranean places several more times. On his travels, he always precisely recorded the world around him in a sketchbook. On his expeditions, Gérôme was often accompanied by photographers who documented oriental motifs. He also collected a variety of artifacts, which, served as aids for the detailed study and execution of works of art on his return to homeland. Just as like as all Orientalist painters, he was interested in a world of strangeness and otherness that could only be seen in the Orient. His collection of travel motifs contains quite a few portraits, however, the artist most often depicts genre in which male and female figures perform everyday tasks. As a Western male artist, the world of men was more accessible than the world of Oriental women. On a daily basis, he came in contact with male characters while performing prayers, dancing, socializing and at the bazaar, yet neither he was not even invited into their world and nor wanted to be a part of it. As most of Orientalist, he preferred to observe people from a distance. Unlike men, his female depictions are most often shown at baths in spas or as slaves for sale on markets. Although the artist seems to be well acquainted with this intimate female world enriched by luxurious interiors full of nudes, this is not the case. Mostly these depictions represent a mere fantasy that men could not get close to in reality. The artist was torn between reality and fiction, but he was certainly not a suitable company of the people on his artwork. They only represented an interesting motif, that led him to a grand success at Paris Salon. During his life the artist received widespread recognition and even today he is considered one of the best academically educated painters that depicted the mysteries of Orient