Cairo 1880

Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky painted this view of Cairo, capturing a moment in the daily life of the city. Makovsky came from a family deeply rooted in Russian art and culture, and he was part of a wave of European artists drawn to the "exotic" allure of the Middle East. In this painting, we see a bustling street scene, rendered with a keen eye for detail. The architecture and clothing suggest a world quite different from 19th-century Russia. How might this painting be seen as a reflection of Russia's complex relationship with the cultures it encountered through trade and empire-building? The artist's gaze, as an outsider, inevitably shapes the narrative. How does Makovsky navigate this complex interplay of observation, representation, and cultural exchange? The layers of identity at play remind us to question whose story is being told, and from what perspective. What might an artist from Cairo have shown us?