The Scholars 1901

Ludwig Deutsch made this painting, The Scholars, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. You can tell it’s an oil painting because the details are tight and controlled, especially the way the light gleams off the robes of the scholars. It’s a world of precision, of getting it right. But what does “right” even mean here? It's like looking at a photograph, but one that has been staged and directed. The painting’s surface is so smooth, so polished. You can hardly see any brushstrokes. It’s almost as if Deutsch wanted to hide his process, to make it seem like the scene just appeared, fully formed. The colour is incredibly rich, with a deep, saturated palette. The reds and golds practically vibrate off the canvas. Look at the intricate patterns on the walls and the rug. Each one is rendered with painstaking care, creating a sense of opulence and exoticism. I’m reminded of Ingres, who, like Deutsch, was obsessed with detail and capturing the likeness of his subjects with photographic accuracy. But where Ingres sought to elevate his subjects to the level of classical ideals, Deutsch seems more interested in documenting a specific time and place. It's a conversation between different ways of seeing and representing the world, where ambiguity reigns supreme.