Well Friends,
I took a day off of editing to go and see the Gerome exhibit at the Getty Museum with my belly dance teacher Aisha Ali and my sister dancer and make-up artist Miss Melody White. All of the goodies were on display such as “The Snake Charmer,” “The Carpet Merchant,” “Le Barde Noir,” “The Bacchante,” and “Dance of the Almeh.” I admit some of the “Exotic Oriental” representations didn’t seem to me to be too exotic at all. The colors, textures, and representations of the “Oriental” customs felt all very familiar to me, even as a contemporary resident of Izmir. All historical reference fetishes aside— I loved the painting “Diogenes” the most… because of the dogs. After viewing the entire exhibit I have to honestly and truly– I Support Orientalism and Jean-Leon Gerome ROCKS!
