Szene im Kalaun Moscheen Komplex Kairo 1876

Franz von Lenbach created this oil on canvas painting titled "Szene im Kalaun Moscheen Komplex Kairo," or "Scene in the Qalawun Mosque Complex, Cairo" during a time of burgeoning Orientalism in European art. Von Lenbach, a German artist, situates us within the bustling courtyard of a significant Islamic complex in Cairo. But what does it mean for a European artist to depict this space? Orientalist art often exoticized and romanticized the "East," reinforcing Western power dynamics. The people here are reduced to types, their individual stories lost in the picturesque scene. Note how the figures are arranged to emphasize the architecture. While the artist captures the play of light and shadow, we might ask whose perspective is privileged and whose is overlooked? How does von Lenbach's gaze shape our understanding of this place and its inhabitants? Instead of a documentary portrayal, the painting gives the viewer the artist’s emotional response to an unfamiliar, exotic place.