During the 19th century, the fine and applied arts of the Muslim and Ottoman world were significantly influenced by Europe. Local artists, who were influenced both in terms of subject matter and technique, began to paint oil on canvas in a Western style. The Western influence can even be seen in the uniforms of the beylical army, known as the Mahalla, which collected taxes in Tunisia.

Osman Hamdi Bey often depicted architecture (e.g. mosques), carpets, tile panels, calligraphy and decorative arts in order to reflect the colourful scenes of Turkish culture in his paintings.

Osman Hamdi Bey painted scenes of cultural interest in which he was keen to express the beauty of Eastern culture. He was the first to paint the human figure in the Western style.

In his paintings, the artist combined Impressionist colour techniques with a totality of composition with great dexterity.

Halil Pasha – as an example of an artist from the East dealing with Impressionist techniques – provides a distinctly unique analysis of Impressionist light and colour.

Known as one of the first soldier-painters in Turkish art history, Halil Pasha won a medal at an international exhibition for this portrait.

‘Abd al-Majid II’s paintings are both realistic and soulful and his use of Western colour techniques is very advanced.

Şevket Dağ, known as a painter of interiors, used Impressionist techniques involving light and shadow in his work.

Western influence is apparent in the pictorial genres as well, of which the most common is the European-style portrait. This example shows Count José (Joseph) María Raffo, who was highly influential in Tunisia on account of his relationship with Ahmad Pasha Bey. As a general rule, in the Arab and Ottoman world calligraphy developed as one of the most highly regarded of the fine arts, while painting was not quite as highly regarded as it was in the West.

Portraits of pre-eminent figures of the Arab and Ottoman world were an influence from the West. This mid-19th-century equestrian portrait of General Khayr al-Din shows the early influence of European models; he is wearing a European-inspired uniform, but Tunisian headgear, the fez.

In the work of Osman Hamdi Bey, Ottoman women are portrayed in many ways: as here, playing an instrument, or maybe reading or arranging flowers in her house.

This watercolour by Hoca Ali Rıza is realistically executed. In his specialism, landscape painting, he made use of light and shadow.

Both the architectural elements and decorative items are reflected with meticulous workmanship in a harmony of bright and vivid colours.

Hüseyin Zekai Pasha followed 19th-century traditions in his paintings, including thinly applied paint and a soft palette.

In his paintings, Osman Hamdi Bey reflects a more nuanced appreciation of Ottoman society and culture.

Interested in the portrayal of people, Duran had little time for non-figurative painting.

The artist is known for his portraits and landscapes, but he was also interested in calligraphy.

The work of Osman Hamdi Bey often reflects Ottoman traditions and culture, manifesting a meticulous and realistic approach to all the elements featured in a scene, ranging from daily life to architecture and from objects to ornamentation.

In this painting, the effects of Western colour techniques are clearly seen.