View of Medinet El-Fayoum
c. 1868/1870
Medium
oil on wood
Dimensions
overall: 38 × 56 cm (14 15/16 × 22 1/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Fund
Accession Number
2013.62.1
Art Historical Context
Jean-Léon Gérôme *View of Medinet Elayoum* (c. 1868/1870) captures the lush oasis region of Egypt's Faiyum Depression, a verdant contrast to the surrounding desert. Painted in oil on wood—a portable medium favored by 19th-century travelers—this compact panel (38 × 56 cm) reflects Gérôme's firsthand observations during his journeys to the Middle East. As a master of French Academic Realism and Orientalism, Gérôme rendered scenes with photographic precision, blending meticulous detail with dramatic light to evoke the exotic allure of North Africa. This work emerged amid Europe's 19th-century fa...
About the Artist
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Gérôme's father, a goldsmith from Vesoul, discouraged his son from studying to become a painter but agreed, reluctantly, to allow him a trial period in the studio of Paul Delaroche in Paris. He traveled and studied in Italy, elsewhere in Europe, and in Asia Minor. The subjects that he enjoyed most were scenes of nature and animals. He is best known for mythological and Comment on works: history pa...