Ernest BERGER ( 1857-1919)

Ernest BERGER ( 1857-1919)

Dancer in a harem

Original oil on canvas 66 x 101 cm Signed lower right E Berger Here, Berger skilfully plays with contrasts. Through the moucharabieh, a few rays of light softly illuminate the pasha, his favorite and the dancer, while musicians and secondary characters lurk in the shadows. The detail given to the typically Ottoman architecture suggests that the artist spent time in Egypt, and thus closely rendered the ceramic tiles, furniture and postures. The scene could not be realized in situ, of course, but Berger creates a plausible illusion, and a moment of delight. Ernst Berger studied at the Vienna Academy with Hans Makart and August Eisenmenger before moving to Munich, where he painted interiors, figures and landscapes. Some of his works have been exhibited at Munich's Glaspalast.