Louis-François Cassas: Oryantalizme bir önsöz

This study hopes to bring a new dimension of understanding to Louis-François Cassas and tackle the notion of Orientalism in an earlier period in European history. Louis – François Cassas (1756 - 1827) was an eighteenth-century French landscape painter, draftsman, architect, archeologist, and antiquarian. He was one of the very few who had the chance to go beyond the borders of Europe and explore the uncharted territories of the Ottoman Empire. He visited the Ottoman Empire in 1784 as a part of the retinue of the newly appointed French ambassador Choiseul-Gouffier and spent three years, drawing Istanbul, Asia Minor, and the Levant. After his return, he produced many artworks, including paintings and engravings in travel books. This thesis investigates and reveals the extent of Orientalism in Louis-François Cassas' works by analyzing the artist's opinions of the East and his life story in order to understand the way in which ideas and life decisions have manifested themselves, and are reflected in his works. I believe placing Cassas in the highly politically charged milieu of the era, can help us understand the way in which political ideologies revealed themselves in the artist's works and investigate the extent of his Orientalism. Examining Cassas in an Orientalist light and demonstrating the way in which he realized his Orientalist tendencies, will help discover his role in influencing contemporary ideologies and shaping the future.