Looking East: Orientalist Art From Nashville Collections December 7, 2006

In July of 1798, Napoleon's army marched into Egypt. They defeated the Turks at the battle of the Pyramids, stayed for a few weeks and then were driven out by the British. Following him came a number of westerners into the Near and Middle East. The writers who wrote about their experiences and the artists who painted what they saw became known as the Orientalists. They traveled through Turkey, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Arabia and North Africa. Over time this became an art movement, and today we call it Orientalist art.