orientalism is the western fascination with exotic continents that became popular during the second half of the xix century. romantic portraits of african countries in contemporary literature and art, such as l'africaine and aida, foster this exoticism in european art. in the united states, the 1876 "turkish bazaar" at the philadelphia century exhibition further increased its appeal with the "turkish" or "moorish" theme that persisted until the 1880s. artists breaking away from the extreme monochrome of the neoclassicism; making use of various bronzes, marbles, onyx and colored stones dipped in gold and silver, enriching the works of art, while maintaining a great interest in the ethnography of his material.