Raising the Veil on
Harems
An inside
look at these private spaces inhabited by women in the 16th, 19th
and 20th centuries, through art.
By Preeti Philip
Odalisque in Red Trousers- Henri
Matisse,1924-25. Oil on canvas, 50 x 61 cms. Musee de l’ Orangerie, Paris
The walls of the harem housed generations of women, elderly matrons,
young wives, children, servants, widowed or divorced relatives and unmarried sisters.
Not only were they responsible for the smooth running of the royal household,
they also participated in matters concerning the empire and when the need arose
these strong women accompanied their husbands and male relatives on horseback travelling
great distances and facing many hardships.
However, life within the harem was also political. Rivalries and
jealousies between the women could sometimes lead to stressful living
conditions, and although
they did live in extremely well-guarded parts of the palace cut off from
male interaction it is a far cry from the oppressed, neglected mistresses and concubines
living unfulfilled lives in suffocating spaces that have fired our imaginations
for centuries. The Europeans, on their arrival in India were not familiar with
the concept of these private spaces for women, neither were they familiar with
the local languages or the subtle nuances of the culture. Their sources of
information were mainly through interpreters, their own lens of Victorian
morality and cheap bazaar gossip. Most accounts pandered to the European
public’s need for gossip on the exotic east or a patronizing orientalism which
considered the eastern cultures inferior and less civilized.
As we look into the inner chamber,
separated by a silk curtain, the mid- wife holds the new born baby and
reclining next to her, flushed with the glow of motherhood is the dusky Maryam-uz-Zamani
(Mary of the world) popularly known as Jodha Bai.
Outside the palace walls a group of astrologers sit and draw up the
horoscope of the future king in consultation with each other. Men carrying
trays of gold coins and jewels head towards the decorated entrance of the
palace, possibly carrying gifts sent by Akbar to celebrate the birth of his
son.
This miniature painting (26.4 x 16.4 cms) painted by the famous portrait
artist Bishan Das, is a folio from the Jahangirnama (Memoirs of
Jahangir). Painted with opaque
watercolor and gold on paper in the traditional vertical format of Persian
painting, we see the influence of Indian styles and Persian styles of painting
in the colors from an ariel perspective which helps us witness multiple scenes
within a single frame.
Created centuries before the time of photography and selfies, these paintings
provide an invaluable glimpse into the lives of these women. Rivalries and
jealousies aside, they also led fulfilled lives of friendship, compassion and
understanding in heavily guarded mini cities where sometimes hundreds if not
thousands of women lived together.
The word Harem (derived from the Arabic word Haram meaning
forbidden), usually conjures up the image of an exotic, opulent quarter in the
Islamic world, where beautiful concubines languidly lay around waiting for
their sultan to visit, as servants, slaves and eunuchs waited in attendance. At
other times it was portrayed as a prison where women were subjugated to their
husband’s absolute control and power. As I have mentioned earlier in the post, these
images of ‘Orientalism’ (a term coined by the prominent scholar Edward Said)
stemmed from a divide between the West and the East, where the Western world portrayed
the image of the East as primitive, exotic and savage, while the West occupied
the superior position of the moral Christian, and superior world. This aided
the West to justify its domination over the East. View an Orientalist painting here
In 1830 France invaded Algiers, which was largely due to Charles X’s attempt to win over his people amidst British encroachment in the Mediterranean that threatened France’s position internationally. Two years later, as part of a diplomatic mission the famous Romantic (period) French artist Eugène Delacroix visited Algiers and managed to gain access into a Muslim harem through his contacts in high places. Although his Painting, ‘Women of Algiers in their Apartment’ is believed to be a more authentic representation of a harem, it was catering to a European audience and in essence is still an Orientalist painting. The harems of Algeria, like the ones in Mughal India (royal or otherwise) were private spaces for all the women of the household, not dens of debauchery and vice as had been portrayed by artists
Women of Algiers in their Apartment, Eugène Delacroix, 1834.180 x 229 cms. Oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris.
The small room has many elements of the typical oriental harem portrayed
by western artists. From the motifs on the tiled walls, the ornate mirror, the
patterns on the rugs and cushions, the curved lines on the wall meant to look Arabic,
to the hookah possibly used to smoke opium.
Delacroix creates a painting part oriental fantasy and part realistic.
Warm hues mix with cold tones, soft brushstrokes of the women’s faces are
painted alongside rough brush strokes of the pillow as the diagonal lines of
warm light bathe the painting in a soft glow.
The painting itself is a cross fertilization of European Orientalism and the artist’s own understanding and interpretation of a culture very different from his own, perceived from his six -month stay in Algiers and Morocco. You can view a typical Orientalist painting of a harem here.
The above painting (version ‘O’) painted in Picasso’s unmatched cubist
style is a riot of color. The flat forms of the women’s bodies are twisted into
impossible contortions to allow the front and back views to be simultaneously
presented to the viewer. The large bare breasted odalisque, smoking a hookah,
is seated in the foreground dominating the painting.
Although Picasso used orientalist elements in his painting, his real
intention was to use Delacroix’s painting to inspire his own creation rather
than creating an exotic painting for the west.
By the 20th century
the unknown exotic East had ceased to be a major topic of interest and by then
most countries had gained their independence. Artists had begun experimenting
with new styles, mediums and themes. Picasso’s painting thus puts a closure to
this period of colonization in art.
In 2015 Picasso’s Les Femmes d` Alger (version ‘O’) as it is known in
French, sold for a record breaking 179 million USD at Christie’s to a private
collector, making it the most expensive painting in the world until then.
Despite the many narratives on harems, and the wives, concubines,
mistresses and eunuchs who inhabited them, we must recognize these women as
individuals with their own dreams and aspirations who were part of this system
for a number of reasons. Our opinions
are clouded by our own cultural viewpoints. It’s time to see and understand these
women in their contextual cultural constructs, helping us to perhaps change our
perceptions and finally free them from these labels and confined spaces.
I I have had a deep relationship with art for over thirty years. After spending several years in advertising, I returned to my passion for painting and art history. I studied art at the College of Art in Delhi, with a specialization in applied art. I teach art appreciation and art history to adults. I also love reading and watching off- beat films.
Website: https://www.preetiphilip.art/
The real and
imaginary Harem- Ira Ma, University of Pennsylvania.
Historical Representations
of North African Women in19th-Century French OrientalismandPost-1950s North African
Narrative- Tara Mendola, College'06 University of Pennsylvania.
Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger series
(1954-55) and the Algerian War of Independence -Amanda Beresford
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