Page "Orientalism" Paragraph 12

" Orientalism " is widely used in art, to refer to the works of the many Western 19th century artists, who specialized in " Oriental " subjects, often drawing on their travels to Western Asia.

Artists as well as scholars were already described as " Orientalists " in the 19th century, especially in France, where the term, with a rather dismissive sense, was largely popularized by the critic Jules-Antoine Castagnary.

Such disdain did not prevent the Société des Peintres Orientalistes (" Society of Orientalist Painters ") being founded in 1893, with Jean-Léon Gérôme as honorary president ; the word was less often used as a term for artists in 19th century England.