Eugene Delacroix, The Lion Hunt, 1858, oil on canvas.
A few weeks ago Dr Nicole Perry spoke to us about the German image of Native American people, the “Indianer.” She explained the way in which this image of Native Americans functioned simultaneously as a symbol of the “noble savage,” and as a beacon during times when Germany faced cultural or national hardship, all the while being subject to the imagination of German people to function as required.
What was of particular interest to me was the way in which Perry used art to illustrate her point, showing paintings of idealised Native Americans in noble hunting scenes, using soft, romantic brushwork to create a picturesque depiction of the Indianer. I think it is particularly relevant to note the way in which images like these would have impacted the way German people viewed Native Americans during this period, as without the means to travel extensively or immerse themselves in the culture of Native Americans, they would have been unable to disregard images like these as merely a romantic idealisation.
Western art has a long history of propagating distorted ideas about “native” cultures, evident in the Romantic movement that prevailed in the early 19th century. French depictions of the “orient,” such as Delacroix’s The Lion Hunt, had a tendency to exaggerate themes of strength, emotion and energy to create an idealised view of these cultures that were deemed primitive in relation to the civilised Western world. Just as mainstream media can impact the thoughts and attitudes of the public in our contemporary society, these images had the power to influence the perspective of an entire people, as in the case for Germany and the Indianer.
