Lake at Oodeypore, India

Registered work (non-exportable)

The first known American Orientalist to travel to India, Edwin Lord Weeks made detailed observations of his travels in the form of books that turned him into a celebrity in the U.S. and Paris, where he had settled. His paintings of the orient show his expert use of light and shadow, as evident in this work. Weeks painted at least two works with identical titles; this one was created during his third and last visit to India. It juxtaposes disparate elements and combines them together in a way only a painterly composition is capable of. The calm, reflective waters of the lake are depicted with carefully blended brushwork. The motley crowd by the lake, including bare-breasted women, however, could be the artist’s fantasy.