As a special treat for his three favourite concubines Ali Pasha has arranged for them to have a morning away from the confines of the harem by being taken around the lake on the Harem Barge. Six men row them around the lake accompanied by an imposing eunuch who stands guard by the enclosure. Not only is this a chance for them to be away from the beautiful prison of the Palace full of intrigue and suspicion but also to escape the stifling summer heat by breathing the cooling breeze and fresher air that eddies across the surface of the water.
I have painted this because I am not sure about the previous painting that was destined for my upcoming slot on Every Day Original. I will decide in the coming minutes as I post this as to which one I put up for sale. I was trying to get across a feeling of bright sunlight and heat and as usual has come out differently to what I originally envisaged particularly in terms of the colour which changed to what you see now as I ramped up the feeling of dusty heat. The background is based on an old engraving of Mosul in Northern Iraq and the barge is a bit of a steal from a Gerome painting.
Oil on linen 16" x 12".
There is a short step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.
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