Exploring new sources of inspiration

Although a trip to Italy was still an essential part of an artist's training, other countries, from Morocco to Egypt and from Greece to Turkey, began to attract travellers in the 19th century.

Napoleon's Egyptian campaign in 1798, which was immortalised by the artist Vivant Denon, the Greek Uprising of 1821, and the Conquest of Algeria which began in 1830, all created new areas of interest. Fascinated by the light and intrigued by the discovery of other cultures, painters and writers fuelled huge interest in these destinations. Travel journals, Chateaubriand's Record of a Journey from Paris to Jerusalem and Back and Théophile Gautier's L'Orient were accompanied by an abundance of images: an imagined land, reproduced in the studio in the style of Louis Courtat, L’Orient also gives an accurate picture of the sites observed.

Félix Ziem liked to spend time in cities such as Venice and Constantinople, setting up his easel close to his favourite sites. Fascinated by the purity of the Algerian sky and light, Alexis Delahogue chose bright colours to convey the intensity of the landscape.