Women of Algiers by Eugène Delacroix (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Women of Algiers
Source: Wikimedia Commons

There are few Romantic artists more famous than the great French painter Eugène Delacroix. Like all Romantic artists, Delacroix’s work is expressive, filled with emotion, spiritual energy, and visual drama. He was also interested in seeking authenticity within artistic expression, which Delacroix sought in Eastern cultures, a trend in art known as Orientalism.

Orientalist painting emerged in Europe in the nineteenth century. It typically involved depicting sensational or stereotypical depictions of Eastern or Middle Eastern cultures. Generally, Western artists found these cultures to be more “primitive” or authentic, which made them of artistic interest. While Orientalist art reflects a deeply flawed understanding of non-Western cultures and intense ethnocentrism, Delacroix truly believed he was looking for truth in his art. He explores this idea through his monumental piece Women of Algiers.

As the Louvre (which owns the painting) notes, “This monumental historical genre scene was inspired by Delacroix’s conviction that a lifestyle resembling that of the ancients was on the point of disappearing—an impression that stayed with him until he died. Preferring the romanticism of travels in North Africa to the artistic tradition of a sojourn in Italy, he believed that Civilization’s missing link was to be found in the Orient.”

Women of Algiers depicts four women sitting in a richly appointed room. The chamber is festooned with brightly colored hangings and geometric decorations. The women, who are dressed in lavish silks, lounge around the room, embodying luxury and decadence. Delacroix visited Algeria in the mid-nineteenth century, where he sketched women who lived in Harems. While his sketches were based on real life, Women of Algiers is more representative of Delacroix’s ideal picture of femininity than anything else. It exocitizes the women of Algiers, simplifying or erasing their lived experiences.

While the painting is problematic in this way, it is also impossible to deny the painting’s importance in the story of Western art. From an aesthetic perspective, it is also a beautiful piece of art, which is how it’s primarily remembered today.

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