J-L Gérôme’s colors of the Eastern wind

“The stories are woven
And fortunes are told
The truth is measured by the weight of your gold
The magic lies scattered
On rugs on the ground
Faith is conjured in the night market’s sound”

Have you ever seen a scene painted in colors so vivid that it seems surreal? A mesmerizing creation of a talent so great it takes your breath away, when all you can do is stare at the painting in awe, trying to imprint the painting in your memories and bring it home? I have been a devoted admirer of art for many years, but then came the fateful evening when by chance, I came to see an exposition of Jean-Léon Gérôme’s paintings at Parisian Musee d’Orsay. The encounter became an inspiring awakening, an event that made me fall in love with art all over again.

Orientalism

VASILY VERESHCHAGIN, THE PEARL MOSQUE AT AGRA

Lands lost in time but not forgotten, an enchanting mirage that makes one think One Thousand and One Nights, beautiful poetry, mesmerizing music and mysterious women. The mythical East… On June 3, Vasily Vasnetsov’s masterpiece “Pearl Mosque in Agra” sold for $6 134 055 at the Cristie’s summer auction. To get in the mood for my next article about amazing French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, time to revisit some of the most fascinating orientalist art.