Persian Letters of Charles-Louis de Montesquieu

"Persian Letters of Charles-Louis de Montesquieu" is a painting by Alexander Roitburd. Roitburd, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, worked in the context of post-Soviet Eastern Europe. He appropriates art history by using the visual language of the Western canon, updating it with a post-modern sensibility. Here, he references the French Enlightenment writer Montesquieu, author of Persian Letters, a satirical novel written from the perspective of two Persian noblemen in France. Roitburd’s painting echoes themes from Montesquieu’s novel, which uses cross-cultural encounters to critique European society, especially its attitudes toward gender and power. The artist sets up a tension between the seated man and the kneeling woman. It’s hard to tell if this is submission or seduction. Her partial nudity and classical pose clash with the man’s attire, creating a jarring effect. Roitburd invites us to reconsider how historical narratives, through representation, have shaped perceptions of gender and cultural identity. It’s both unsettling and thought-provoking.