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PHOTOS COURTESY OF TACOMA ART MUSEUM

SHARP DRESSER. “A Sudanese In Algerian Costume” by Charles Henri Joseph Cordier.

‘Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art’

Stunning exhibit shows Ottoman Empire through a European perspective

By John Larson

When French leader Napoleon Bonaparte sent his troops into Egypt in 1798 it sparked a strong interest across Europe in the countries that comprised the Ottoman Empire, an area extending from Turkey and Greece through the Middle East and North Africa. The region became known as “the Orient” and the art movement known as Orientalism grew out of this fascination.

Some Europeans captured a realistic depiction of the lands and people of the empire; others embellished their works to create a somewhat skewed view, driven either by their own stereotypes or just a sheer sense of awe at a culture that was much different from their own.

Those perceptions can be seen in the new exhibit at Tacoma Art Museum, “Oasis: Western Dreams of the Ottoman Empire from the Dahesh Museum of Art.”

Organized by the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York, it has more than 60 paintings, drawing, sculptures and other objects.

Worship was a common subject matter of this movement, as the Europeans seemed intrigued by the Islamic customs of prayer.

In “The Hour of Prayer,” Paolino Pavesi shows two men sitting in a mosque, two others standing upright, another slightly bowed.

Other religions are depicted as well, fitting for a region that encompassed the birthplaces of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

Jean Jules Antoine Lecomte du Nouy depicts two women praying in “At The Tomb of the Virgin in Jerusalem.” One stands, the other kneels barefoot, her sandals on the steps nearby.

The three wise men were a common subject of Orientalism. Henri Lehmann depicts them in “Adoration of The Magi.” The baby Jesus, in Mary’s arms, grabs the finger of one of the men. There is a night sky full of stars, but behind the baby’s head it appears the sun is shining bright.

“Moses Before The Pharaoh” by Gustave Dore depicts the pharaoh as some sort of god; some of the members of his entourage strut and preen like semi-deities as well. The Jewish people are depicted suffering and defeated, sprawled across the steps as Moses stands tall and looks directly at the pharaoh.

There are a few pieces of sculpture. The Swiss sculptor known as Marcello made “The Abyssinian Chief.” A good definition of the facial detail is seen in this bust of silvered bronze with gilt detail.

Charles Henri Joseph Cordier captures the interesting clothing, from the coiled hat to the trim and tassels on the shirt, in “A Sudanese in Algerian Costume.”

Many of the paintings are genre scenes, meant to capture scenes from everyday life.

Some of them portray the Ottoman Empire as a land of educated scholars. Rudolf Ernst’s “The Letter” depicts an older man sitting on a couch wearing a gold robe. Next to him, a younger man in a blue robe and red cape holds a letter, which they are looking at with great interest.

Many portray people relaxing with tobacco and coffee in various establishments. Italian painter Fabio Fabbi portrays four men smoking on the sidewalk in front of a café or coffee shop in “The Afternoon Smoke.” One of them stands next to a hookah, while another takes a deep puff from a pipe several feet long.

Others portray the men of the empire as fierce soldiers and invaders.

The most compelling piece in the exhibit is “The Abduction of a Herzegovian Woman,” an oil on canvas painting made in 1861 by Czech artist Jaroslav Cermak. Its sheer size commands attention; it is approximately six feet wide and 10 feet tall.

In the painting, several men of Arabic or Turkish ethnicity are raiding a house. The husband lays dead or wounded on the floor in the doorway. A baby is on the ground in similar condition. One of the men holds a torch, and the inside of the home is on fire. One of the invaders is carrying the woman outside. She is nearly naked except for a piece of her dress still wrapped around one shoulder. Another man is tying rope around one of her wrists. With her free hand she is clawing at the face of the man holding her, a look of sheer terror on her face.

Cermak had witnessed Ottoman soldiers and mercenaries attack civilians in Bohemia and Slovakia, so his depiction may not be an effort to stereotype the Ottoman men, but rather has some basis in fact.

The woman’s white dress could be construed as a symbol of her purity. Certainly the crucifix lying on the ground symbolized Christian Europe under attack by the Islamic regions to the east.

Cermak’s painting is a stunning figure painting as well as a political and cultural statement. It brings to mind the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, where rape was widely committed – in many cases Muslim women attacked by Christian men.

“Oasis” runs through Jan. 4, 2009.

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