Scenes from an Eastern Romance [Arabian Nights] 

Editor: So this is "Scenes from an Eastern Romance," or "Arabian Nights," by Robert Smirke. The medium looks like maybe watercolor or oil on paper. It’s interesting, kind of dreamlike and tiered. What catches your eye? Curator: Well, let’s consider the context. Smirke was working in a period of intense interest in the ‘Orient’ and its commodification. The *Arabian Nights* tales were becoming increasingly popular in Europe, translated and reinterpreted. How does Smirke depict this ‘East’? It’s clearly staged, isn't it? Look at the construction of the scenes. Editor: Staged how? Curator: Consider the materials, the very 'stuff' of the painting. It is almost sepia toned which flattens everything into this generalized view of a faraway land and the religious components of that land, removing it from its source. Editor: So, it’s less about a genuine understanding and more about satisfying a market? Curator: Precisely. Smirke is manufacturing an idea of the ‘Orient’ for consumption. It becomes another commodity in a culture hungry for the exotic. The means of production reveal the intent: this is Orientalism as a business, not necessarily art from the soul. The visual motifs employed become signifiers divorced from the social practices that created them. The layering of the piece creates something that seems sacred. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. I was drawn in by the ethereal quality, but now I see the artist as more of a manufacturer, fulfilling a demand. Curator: Exactly. Seeing the artwork as a product of its time changes how we appreciate its impact and value. Now, we can consider if, divorced from their original purpose and commodified like this, what the role of mythology really is. Editor: Thanks. Now I look at this differently.