Subjects and agents of Orientalism in 19th century Romania: Carol Popp de Szathmari and Theodor Aman

As is the case with many other former Ottoman regions, Romania’s relation with its imperial Ottoman legacy is a complex, multilayered, contradictory, and ambiguous one. These ambiguities seem to permeate almost every aspect of 19^th and 20^th century’s Romanian culture and society in the constructivist spirit of searching for roots while building a new and modern nation state. However, the double role of being both subject and agent of an Orientalist gaze becomes even more apparent in visual culture. Artists Carol Popp de Szathmary (1812-1887), born and educated in Habsburg Transylvania, and Theodor Aman (1831-1891), the descendent of an Aromanian merchant from Oltenia, represent two of the kaleidoscopic discourses on what was perceived and constructed as Oriental in 19^th century Romania. Both used various artistic mediums and techniques in their work, cultivated a tight knit relationship with Romanian central authorities and nationalists, and were quite adept in what would today be called marketing strategies. This talk will address the complexities of their artworks as products of social representations of history (Pascal Ory) making use of specific conventions of representation (Peter Burke) that mediate a certain text as image/image as text approach to art.

Dr. Roxana Coman has studied Art History and Romanian Modern History at the University of Bucharest, with a BA and MA in Art History and a PhD in History. Volunteering during her BA and MA studies in the National Museum of Art of Romania, she has worked between 2016 and 2022 as a curator and museum educator in the Bucharest Municipality Museum.