Matisse odalisque
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Odalisque subtitled ‘The Woman of Algiers’ is an Impressionist painting created in 1870 by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is located in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, United States.
Analysis of Renoir’s Odalisque
This work belongs to the tradition of the depiction of Oriental or African women by Western artists which was popular in the 19th century during the Scramble for Africa by European empires.
Where it differs from the traditional is in the fact that Renoir’s sitter is fully clothed, and this affords him the opportunity to revel in the color of the clothing. Renoir painted this work in 1870.
Renoir’s Orientalist Paintings
While the French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir is primarily known for his Impressionist works depicting everyday life and landscapes, he also delved into the genre of Orientalist painting. Orientalism refers to a fascination with and romanticized depiction of the East, particularly North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, by Western artists during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Renoir’s foray into Orientalism occurred durin
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Odalisque
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Among the many paintings, Renoir painted his most famous painting Odalisque, the woman of Algeria in 1870. It's an attractive image of a European woman in extravagant oriental clothing.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an outstanding French Impressionist was one of the great painters who took pleasure in the divine light and country scenes of the French Riviera. The famous painter alternated his approach of painting in many of his masterpieces. They still remained soft and sensuous, illustrating outdoor scenes of country-dances as well as the oriental painting in fashion. Renoir is mostly interested at this point the oriental idea for the beautiful vibrant colors, atmosphere and fashion of this sector. Renoir uses this as a reason for his new appreciation of colors near his good friend Monet either than Master Courbet. He didn't travel to Algeria until 1881, searching for the perfect orientalist model. After claiming many of the women were unapproachable, Renoir returned back to the co
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