Eastern Beauty
Artist
Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant
Paris 1845 – Paris 1902
Title
Eastern Beauty
Date
Before or about 1880
Materials
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
120.8 x 80.3 cm
Credits
Frederick Angus Bequest, inv. 2008.29
Collection
Western Art
Benjamin-Constant was inspired by Delacroix early in his career. He was further influenced by his travels to Spain and Morocco. His gift for colour is universally admired. An Eastern Beauty is an alluring portrait that art lovers, avid for exoticism and sensuality, did not find at all shocking. This odalisque with her languid gaze, a glittering akal headband around her red hair cascading over her shoulders, is wearing a silk bolero edged with braid over a diaphanous blouse. The rich colouring of the scene is heightened by the artificial light coming from inside the room, contrasting with the dark night sky seen through the embrasure. This painting is the successful expression of a Western fantasy.
