A Bashi-Bazouk Chieftan
circa 1880-82
Jean-Léon Gérôme was obsessed with the exotic, often painting fierce soldiers from the Ottoman Empire like this Bashi-Bazouk chieftain. Despite his reputation as a wild, undisciplined warrior, he lounges here on a divan in fancy silk pants and a green turban, looking more like a relaxed king than a fighter. Gérôme was a master of Academic art, painting with such incredible, almost photographic detail that every fold of that white fabric looks real enough to touch. The hookah and discarded shoes nearby suggest he's settling in for a long, lazy afternoon.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 100 x 120 cm
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Views: 1