Grande Piscine de Brousse* by Jean-Léon Gérôme

This superb composition is part of the Orientalism movement, a major French artistic trend of the nineteenth century of which the artist is an emblematic figure. The famous painter Gérôme Jean-Léon represents here the mysterious and sensual interior of a traditional hammam with great descriptive precision. The composition entitled “Grande Piscine de Brousse” depicts the intimacy and rest of several women bathing and relaxing by a pool of clear water. This pictorial work testifies to the lasting fascination of the era for exoticism and the private spaces of the East.

In a vast thermal space with dark stone architecture and carved pillars, many bathers relax beside a basin of clear water with emerald reflections. In the foreground, a young, completely naked red-haired woman and a black-skinned maid draped in a blue sarong stand, seen from behind. On the left, a group of naked women are seated by the water, while another swims peacefully in the pool. A long water pipe made of glass and metal, called a hookah, rests on the stone platform in the center. The scene is enveloped in a diffused light coming from an opening high up, creating a vaporous atmosphere and a mood conducive to quiet idleness.

The exceptional virtuosity of the artist is expressed in the delicate treatment of the women’s skin tones and the subtle reflections of the moving water. His refined technique of oil painting makes it possible to contrast the realism of the rough stone with the silky softness of the skin. This sublime painting beautifully magnifies academic art.