At first glance this work may seem a joke, or at least, a painting imbued with a certain ironic note, because this French painter became famous as an exponent of neoclassicism. Next to works that seem more “natural” for an artist belonging to this movement ( enough to remember “The death of Caesar”), Jean-Léon Gérôme painted several paintings set in a bathroom, for example Moorish bathroom.

Gérôme, during his training period, came in contact with Parisian art scene’s personalities in the second half of the nineteenth century. He attended the prestigious Académie Julian. His teacher was Paul Delaroche, who accompanied him on a trip to Italy between 1844 and 1845. The work “Combat de coqs” was strenuously defended by the French critic Théophile Gautier. In few words, our painter was able to get noticed since he was so young, in the same way in which it is noted his “Moorish bathroom”.

The first detail of the picture that made an impression on the memory is the contrast of colors: on the one hand there is the white of the woman sitting on a stool, on the other, the dark color from the woman standing.

Only in this moment the viewer realizes that is looking a picture with a strong neo-classical style , used to represent scenes with an exquisitely oriental taste. How exactly is “The Moorish Bath”: elegant, refined, full of exotic details.

The harem and the bathroom were two of the favorite locations of Gérôme: great art and the bathroom have always been linked. Some examples? The masterpieces of the great artists like Botero and David.

Fonte immagine: Di Jean-Léon Gérôme – Le informazioni sulla fonte di questo file multimediale sono mancanti.Perfavore modifica questa pagina di descrizione del file fornendone la provenienza., Pubblico dominio