Sunrise over Mongolia 

Editor: "Sunrise over Mongolia" by Fujishima Takeji... What a serene, almost otherworldly landscape. The camels look tiny against the vastness of the desert. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, I think it is vital to look at this painting through the lens of Orientalism, a 19th-century Western art movement depicting "the Orient" with an air of exoticism and romanticism. While the artist, Fujishima Takeji, was Japanese, there's still a way in which this work is informed by orientalist trends. What's striking to me is the role of visual imagery in shaping cultural perceptions. Do you see how this landscape perpetuates an idea of Mongolia as remote, and timeless, but perhaps devoid of complexity? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn't considered it that way. The brushstrokes and colour palette seemed to me like the artist was trying to capture a moment of transient beauty. But now you've made me think about how the artwork affects viewers' perception of Mongolia as a real place. Curator: Exactly! These visual representations aren’t just neutral depictions, they actively shape public perception. For instance, consider the lack of urban development, or even vegetation in the painting. It reduces Mongolia to this idea of barren wasteland, right? Editor: Right. That does make me see the camels more as tropes than actual animals within their natural environment. Does that mean this artwork still falls within the broader phenomenon of colonialism? Curator: In a way, yes. Japan at the time was experiencing a rapid process of Westernisation, and their artists took notice of Western interpretations of Asian regions and peoples. The artwork’s style reinforces those established Orientalist narratives and assumptions of power, whether intentionally or not. I’m glad it gave you something to think about. Editor: It has. I'm going to look at Orientalism with a new set of eyes from now on!