Painting on Middle East
...le East. The scantily clad woman and the fan on the floor beside her suggest the setting takes place in a hot climate. The water pipe on the floor is also distinctively Middle Eastern, the smoking of which is a very common daily activity. There are some images in the painting, however, that do not have their origins in the Middle East. One such image is the woman playing the stringed instrument. She is wearing jewelry on her ankle, and her foot is decorated with henna, both of which are part of the Indian culture. The instrument she is playing could also be in question – it appears to possibly be a Persian tar, but there is also the possibility that it may be a sitar, an ancient and very popular Northern Indian instrument. The man in the background (who’s skin appears to be darker than the typical middle eastern male, whether of Arab (Semitic) Persian, Turkish, Armenian, etc. descent, suggesting he is South Asian or even north African) is wearing is wearing loose airy clothing that also suggests a very warm climate, but that could either be Middle Eastern or south Asian. This painting conveys an image depicting laziness – either from extreme heat, or from an unwillingness to work or be productive, another stereotype. There appear to be two different races of people in the photo as well, whether they are both of Middle Eastern descent is in question. The two very fair-skinned, light-haired woman appear to be relaxing or enjoying themselves, and the dark-skinned male appears to be standing guard by the door. This image may prompt a viewer of this painting to come to the conclusion that the women seem to hold a higher status, with the male seeming to be of servant status. The source of this disparity in status, whether it be race, gender or some other reason, is in question, but the immediate conclusion that comes to mind is that lighter skinned individuals are held in higher regard in this culture. The painting conveys many valu...