K.S.N Moin Mir

The Last Caliph Abdelmejid was a Francophile deeply influenced by French art and literature. I was fortunate enough to see the exhibition Renoir and Love at the @nationalgallery today. The Last Caliph’s father was the first Ottoman Sultan Caliph to visit Paris in 1867 for the Universelle and Renoir painted Paris during that exposition (first two paintings). Abdelmejid was also influenced by the French author Maupassant and translated his works into Turkish. The third painting by Renoir was inspired by Maupassant’s settings in parks and boat rides which he believed were idyllic places for heterosexual and homosexual love stories to blossom. The French cafes, luncheons, Parisian street life, flirtatious encounters in parks and dances painted by Renoir enamored Abdelmejid who lived for forty years in France. And through the paintings of Renoir I was able to see what the Last caliph must have seen during his time in France