Understanding The Dance of the Almeh Meredith Baird The Dance of the Almeh by Jean-Leon Gerome is an interesting piece

in how it relates to French perceptions of Muslim countries. During the late 19th century Orientalism was a popular subject for academic painters. People were fascinated by foreign locations they perceived as exotic and dangerous and that cultural attitude manifested in the art of the time. Jean-Leon Gerome was no exception and in this painting some of his stereotypes and perceptions shine through. Through the composition and subject matter, Gerome exhibits his own perceptions and biases about the Middle East. The painting itself is a prime example of academic art. It displays very clear clarity of line and the figures pop from the background theyre set against. Theres also a rich use of color that gives the scene a warm feeling through the use of reds and gold in the clothing. The central subject is a female dancer. To the left of her are a group of European men dressed in exotic clothing. To the right are a group of Middle Eastern musicians. Even though it depicts a dancer the painting itself feels very static. The woman almost looks like a statue from her positioning. The only aspect of that figure that suggests movement is the swaying tassels of her belt. The light helps establish that she is the main subject of the painting as shes bathed in light. The lighting also prominently hits the group of Europeans establishing them as another focal group. The Middle Eastern musicians are thus relegated to background details and characters. The brushstrokes are very fine and hard to discern from each other giving the piece a uniform look. The surface is flat and glossy. It is a fairly large painting at 19x32 inches. It is large enough to

take up a decent amount of space but not so large that it is unwieldy. The clarity of the piece and its subject matter firmly establish it as an academic piece. The figures in the piece most likely depict a bunch of European men traveling through the Middle East. The architecture of the building they are painted in suggests North Africa as do the clothes everyone is in. The type of people they are is unclear but the guns positioned on the wall above the group signals a military occupation. The color of the light suggests late early evening. The hunched postures of the men sitting down suggest that it is the end of the day and theyre relaxing after a day of activity. Indeed one of the men has a shoe off and is in the middle of taking the other one off. Among the Europeans is a black man who stands out from the rest, not only for the color of his skin, but also by his demeanor. Hes the only one not slumped over and is also an active participant of the scene. Though hes dressed like the rest of the Europeans and grouped with them the artist is drawing a separation between them and him. His role in the group is likely as a guide and translator. The musicians and dancer likely were paid to provide the Europeans some entertainment. In a larger context of European attitudes about the Muslim countries this painting has a lot of problematic elements. The most obvious of them is the blatant Orientalism in it where the foreign culture is both admired and yet seen as lesser than that of European culture. One way a viewer can see this is in the way the dancer in the center is depicted. She is extremely sexualized. Her clothes highlight her bare stomach and the sheer cloth of her shirt and the vest she wears draw the eye to her breasts. At the same time her face is tilted away so her facial features are lost, dehumanizing her. This also makes her ethnicity come into question, as her skin is very light. During the late 19th century there

were many artists who enjoyed painting distinctly European looking women in exotic Middle Eastern locations and dress. While her facial features are unclear it is very likely this figure is another depiction of white women dressed up in Middle Eastern garb for the western male gaze. Even in the painting almost every figure is staring at her. The pose is reminiscent of depictions of Salome. Salome is a character in the Bible who dances before her father Herod and asks for John the Baptist to be executed. This dancers reference to Salome plays into Orientalist fantasy by making her a dangerous figure that at the same time is seductive. It plays into a European male gaze where shes appealing sexually, but she is dangerous and unfit for companionship. The viewer of the time can look at her and find her beautiful while simultaneously condemning her. There are other ways in which the Middle Eastern people are also poorly depicted. The Middle Eastern musicians are set in the corner in the shadows. The light completely bypasses them as it illuminates the dancing woman and European men sending the message that those figures are not important. Even in a painting supposedly depicting their own culture they are not seen as less important as the European visitors. They have an active role in the scene that is taking place, yet it is the casual onlookers who are a focal point. Not only are they in shadows but they also occupy less space than the Europeans and are seated on the ground. The placement of these figures in relation to the Europeans sends a visual cue of power and dominance of Europe, a highly potent message during the height of European imperialism.

The Dance of the Almeh is a beautifully painted piece with some troubling undertones. While there is an impressive show of technical talent displayed in the

painting, the subject, composition, and context of the painting belies the racist ideas of the artist. The woman is turned into an object of Western male fantasy and the men are depicted as less important than the Europeans in a painting where they are more active participants. The objectification of the woman and the marginalization of the men perpetuate notions of European supremacy. In that way The Dance of the Almeh is unsettling in its implications and the view of the Middle East it presents.