Prayer in Cairo* by Jean-Léon Gérôme

This work of great spiritual nobility is fully part of the Orientalism movement, an emblematic French academic trend of the nineteenth century. The famous painter Gérôme Jean-Léon illustrates here with respect and rigor the religious devotion of Islamic believers during daily prayer. The composition entitled “Prayer in Cairo” shows a group of men gathered on the roof of a mosque at sunset. This narrative creation testifies to a deep aesthetic sensitivity for the landscapes and customs of the East.

On a vast terrace overlooking the rooftops of the city, several men of different ages perform their devotions on prayer rugs. In the foreground, a bearded man dressed in a long brown robe and a white turban stands with his hands raised to his face. Behind him, other believers are lined up in postures of prayer, some standing, bowing, or prostrating, their foreheads touching the ground. The heavy woolen clothes are declined in shades of red, green, and saffron yellow. In the background, the silhouette of many minarets rises into the late-day sky bathed in a golden and dusty glow. The warm light of twilight envelops the scene in a mystical and solemn peace.

The virtuosity of the artist lies in the contemplative atmosphere he manages to create through a remarkable use of twilight light. His perfect technique of oil painting gives an almost physical presence to the draperies of the clothes and the texture of the carpets. This is a testimony of immense realistic precision.