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The Daily OrangeRare Napoleon works from Egypt come to SUArt Galleries
By Ashley Collman
Posted: 2/2/09, 2:02 AM EST Section: Feature
More than 200 years after Napoleon commanded his armies to Egypt, the work his scholars gathered during their time on the Nile is being showcased at the SUArt Galleries.
"Napoleon on the Nile" focuses on research conducted by French scholars during Napoleon's occupation of Egypt and is the second part of an SUArt initiative that brought works by Michelangelo to campus last semester.
The exhibit was brought through a partnership between the university and the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York City.
"We see it as being a great wide-ranging show that will interest not just the artists and art historians on campus, but also the language departments, the anthropology departments and also the sciences, too," said David Prince, director of SUArt Galleries.
Napoleon's expedition to Egypt led to one of the most bloody and disastrous military campaigns of his reign.
Though originally a military expedition, Napoleon brought scholars with him to study the Egyptian culture. Their findings were compiled in a multi-volume encyclopedia called "The Description of Egypt," which is still the basis of modern Egyptology.
Napoleon's occupation of Egypt is comparable to the United State's presence in the Middle East, Prince said.
"It's an ongoing challenge for one culture to see another culture without bias," said Prince. "You can think about what is happening between America and the Muslim world over the past nine years, and you can see that there has definitely been some challenging views of other cultures by America."
The prints that were published inside "The Description of Egypt" are the main focus of the exhibit. They detail the people, culture and architecture of Egypt.
Accompanying these prints are various other paintings from the same four-year period. They show Egyptians rich and poor in their daily life. The prints describe clothing styles and show illustrations of pyramids and other structures.
The paintings give the viewer a good description of what life for the nobility of Egypt was like. One painting by Edwin Longsden Long, titled "Love's Labor Lost," illustrates aristocratic Egyptian women relaxing. Servants, kittens, a monkey and a small deer join them in the richly decorated room.
"Napoleon on the Nile" will show until March 29. The exhibition will be replaced by the Master of Fine Arts exhibition, in which graduate students will showcase their work.
Prince finds that the deeper context makes the exhibit a draw.
"It's not one or two pieces, but the entire show in its context that makes it interesting," said Prince. "From an academic point of view, this is an opportunity to see how one people studied another culture."
aucollma@syr.edu
"Napoleon on the Nile" focuses on research conducted by French scholars during Napoleon's occupation of Egypt and is the second part of an SUArt initiative that brought works by Michelangelo to campus last semester.
The exhibit was brought through a partnership between the university and the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York City.
"We see it as being a great wide-ranging show that will interest not just the artists and art historians on campus, but also the language departments, the anthropology departments and also the sciences, too," said David Prince, director of SUArt Galleries.
Napoleon's expedition to Egypt led to one of the most bloody and disastrous military campaigns of his reign.
Though originally a military expedition, Napoleon brought scholars with him to study the Egyptian culture. Their findings were compiled in a multi-volume encyclopedia called "The Description of Egypt," which is still the basis of modern Egyptology.
Napoleon's occupation of Egypt is comparable to the United State's presence in the Middle East, Prince said.
"It's an ongoing challenge for one culture to see another culture without bias," said Prince. "You can think about what is happening between America and the Muslim world over the past nine years, and you can see that there has definitely been some challenging views of other cultures by America."
The prints that were published inside "The Description of Egypt" are the main focus of the exhibit. They detail the people, culture and architecture of Egypt.
Accompanying these prints are various other paintings from the same four-year period. They show Egyptians rich and poor in their daily life. The prints describe clothing styles and show illustrations of pyramids and other structures.
The paintings give the viewer a good description of what life for the nobility of Egypt was like. One painting by Edwin Longsden Long, titled "Love's Labor Lost," illustrates aristocratic Egyptian women relaxing. Servants, kittens, a monkey and a small deer join them in the richly decorated room.
"Napoleon on the Nile" will show until March 29. The exhibition will be replaced by the Master of Fine Arts exhibition, in which graduate students will showcase their work.
Prince finds that the deeper context makes the exhibit a draw.
"It's not one or two pieces, but the entire show in its context that makes it interesting," said Prince. "From an academic point of view, this is an opportunity to see how one people studied another culture."
aucollma@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Laura
posted 2/03/09 @ 2:07 PM EST
I thought this article was very interesting. It makes me want to visit this exhibit. Wish I could.
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