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About the Painting:
In this study in oil, Theodore Frere focuses on the architecture of the “East” and the people that reside within it. He doesn’t place significance on the figures the way many of his Orientalist contemporaries did; rather, his focus was the world. He implicates the people he renders within their context, highlighting surrounding architecture by creating a visual depth to the work. The doorway, framed by intricate brickwork and emphasized in the middle of the composition, invites us into a more intimate scene. The use of warm colors like oranges, reds, and yellows further the intimate warmth of the piece.
Artist Bio
Theodore Frere was a French Orientalist painter. Though he originally painted European landscapes, Frere became enamored with the “Eastern” world following his trip to Algeria and began to exclusively paint its exoticized scenes. Frere also traveled to Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and Syria, where he produced paintings that he exhibited in French salons starting in 1855. His Orientalist style drew the attention of the French public, and he received awards in 1848 and 1865 for his work.
