Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery.
1984.18.5
Arab Flutist
after 1850 (Date created)
Graphite
Drawing
Drawings
0 in L
x
0 in W
x
0 in H
x
0 in D
(Object)
French
The French critic, Edmond Duranty referred to Gerome in a 1876 essay entitled "The New Painting". He stated that "that group of artists who work outside the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet remain tied to its influence, ... are hybrids.. Some of them come from that universal studio of anecdotal archaeology where they turn out costumes..." This criticism could apply to most of the genre scenes of the Middle East in this exhibition.
Depicting an Arab man sitting cross-legged and playing a flute, this drawing is a study by Gerome for his own enjoyment, though it may have been copied from the work of another artist. While the proportions are rather boxlike, the artist's technique is not bad. He describes feet and and hands as much by the absence of lines as by using lines. There are no very dark areas or white highlights, which, combined with the boxlike composition, give the figure a flat appearance. He seems to have caught the man in the middle of taking a breath between notes; the face is not very Arabic-looking, nor is the skin, suggesting a studio model in costume rather than a drawing from real life.
"The French critic, Edmond Duranty referred to Gerome in a 1876 essay entitled "The New Painting". He stated that "that group of artists who work outside the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet remain tied to its influence, ...are hybrids... Some of them come from that universal studio of anecdotal archaeology where they turn out costumes..." This criticism could apply to most of the genre scenes of the Middle East in this exhibition."
- from exhibition label
From exhibition label: "Look closely at Gerome's seated Arab. This drawing is one of many studies he did of Algerian peasants or contemporary Arabs, which were considered exotic, and therefore, acceptable subjects by some mainstream artists. But, was his model really an Arab? In 1876 the critic Edmond Duranty referred to Gerome in his essay, "The New Painting" when he described "that group of artists who work outside of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet remain tied to its influence, they are hybrids...Some of them come from that universal studio of anecdotal archaeology where they turn out costumes..." Gerome's carefully drawn study is an example of the conservative approach. He had been an instructer at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and taught Alfred Philippe Rool (see no 108)." (Lee Stevenson)
"The French critic, Edmond Duranty referred to Gerome in a 1876 essay entitled "The New Painting". He stated that "that group of artists who work outside the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet remain tied to its influence, ...are hybrids... Some of them come from that universal studio of anecdotal archaeology where they turn out costumes..." This criticism could apply to most of the genre scenes of the Middle East in this exhibition."
- from exhibition label
From exhibition label: "Look closely at Gerome's seated Arab. This drawing is one of many studies he did of Algerian peasants or contemporary Arabs, which were considered exotic, and therefore, acceptable subjects by some mainstream artists. But, was his model really an Arab? In 1876 the critic Edmond Duranty referred to Gerome in his essay, "The New Painting" when he described "that group of artists who work outside of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, yet remain tied to its influence, they are hybrids...Some of them come from that universal studio of anecdotal archaeology where they turn out costumes..." Gerome's carefully drawn study is an example of the conservative approach. He had been an instructer at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and taught Alfred Philippe Rool (see no 108)." (Lee Stevenson)
In Collection
Edmond Duranty, "The New Painting", 1876.
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