Orientalism is a whole complex of ideas, images and techniques that took shape in the works of West European artists of the 19/20th centuries under the influence of the legends about East and Eastern literature, personal travels and scientific works and, finally, under the direct influence of oriental fine art. (source)

In the 19th Century, most Europeans had never been to the region we now know as the Middle East. For most, the Middle East was a kind of mystery, a blank canvas on which to project a wild dream.
Europeans wanted to believe that the Middle East was a region of exotic luxuriance, sensual richness and forbidden pleasures, a place quite separate to their own.
The 19th Century Middle East was, in short, a fantasy.
Quote from Mayfair Gallery

There is a lot of negativity going on around this art form due to the woke culture. Since my main site focus on art I stay away from these discussions. What interests me is that Orientalism is not really connected to a certain niche (in bdsm) but it combines niches like bondage, submission and servitude. That is why I decided to create a special page dedicated to Orientalism.