Orientalism and Occidentalism

The Case of Earl of Gleichen

Abstract

This paper examines the theme of Orientalism within the context of the nineteenth century European imaginary painter Eduard Kaempffer’s works on the story of Earl Ernst III of Gleichen from Thuringia/Germany. It investigates how, in the depiction of the Earl’s reported bigamy with his Thuringian wife as well as with the Egyptian Melechsala, a sultan’s daughter rescued him from execution. In this contextual foundation it explains aspects of Orientalist image and action (that fostered not only Western imagination of the Orient but also the Orient’s self-image) as well as of the Occidentalism (including both anti enlightenment thinking and uncritical imitation of Western culture) retrospectively relevant to the Earl’s story, to the painting, and to the time period. It then briefly looks into conceptions of the female body as subject to these phenomena. It explores the far-reaching influence of these themes into modernity within the realms of alienation and distancing, and their purpose in constructing perception. Further, it explains the paintings and their themes and stereotypes within the backdrop of Protestant-Catholic relations and the Lutheran revival, pointing towards awareness and interpretation strategies for setting up a creative discourse to combat stereotypical imageries.