Екзотична еротика – европейското чуждо като другото свое

The paper discusses the construction of the concept of the oriental woman (the exotic “other” woman) in West European paintings and literature. It analyses the ways and means through which “Eastern erotica” develops into a cultural mythologem as well as the reasons why the erotic is increasingly used in the construction of the concept of the exotic in West European art in the 18th and 19th century. What is also given thought and careful consideration is the specificity of the Romantic notions of exoticism and exotic local colour (exotisme et couleur locale exotique).