Prayers In The Mosque
Jean-Léon Gérôme was the ultimate 19th-century travel blogger, but with paintbrushes instead of cameras. Obsessed with accuracy, he traveled to Egypt to sketch this mosque interior, capturing the rhythmic beauty of Islamic prayer. Notice how he shows the worshippers in different stages of the ritual at once—standing, bowing, and prostrating—creating a sort of spiritual storyboard. As a leader of the Academic art movement, he used this hyper-realistic style to feed the European fascination with the 'exotic' East, making this a perfect example of Orientalist art.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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