Egypt, on the Banks of the Nile 

Hermann David Salomon Corrodi, a Swiss-Italian painter, created this oil on canvas titled "Egypt, on the Banks of the Nile". Born in Switzerland in 1844, Corrodi’s artistic career unfolded during a period of intense European fascination with the Middle East. This painting then becomes part of what is referred to as "Orientalism." Note how the people are rendered as types. The male figures wear turbans and flowing robes while the women are draped in dark fabrics. The painting serves not only as a landscape, but also as an ethnographic record – albeit one seen through a European lens. The setting sun casts a warm glow over the scene, yet this romantic vision obscures the complexities of Egypt’s socio-political landscape. What stories do these figures hold? What labor is performed here on the banks of the Nile? As you consider these questions, reflect on the power dynamics inherent in the act of representation, and contemplate the human experiences, both seen and unseen, within the frame.