Acquired by the Musee du Luxembourg in 1863, it has been houses by Luxembourg Museum in Paris, the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Museum of Fine Art in Lyon. It was awarded to the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1982 and then assigned to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris in the same year.
This monumental scene (measuring over 3 metres wide) was painted by Gustave Guillaumet (1840-1887) in 1863. It depicts a group of Muslims in the Sahara desert at dusk as they participate in the sunset prayer, the Maghrib. The figures are in the foreground in front of their camp, the thin smoke rising into the sky as the vast desert stretches to the horizon behind them. The size of the canvas emphasises the infinite expanse of the desert and the smallness of human figures within it. There is no dramatic action here; only time, ritual, and space. The rhythmic figures introduces movement within the stillness of the panorama and visually echoing the ritual cadence of prayer. The layered landscape reinforces the distance from ‘modern society’ and the silence of the desert. Guillaumet’s colour palette of muted earthy colours contrasts against the cool twilight blues of the sky and the subtle violet and amber hues at sunset, the scene being illuminated by the residual glow of the sun. He creates a sense of quiet solemnity and an emotional tone that is meditative and restrained. Guillaumet has depicted humanity as small before both God and nature. The desert itself becomes a metaphor for divine infinity and the sunset prayer marks a cyclical and eternal sacrament. He has captured an inner stillness and contemplation - a pause in worldly activity. Guillaumet has created an observational piece in a world where Orientalist artwork was typically exotic-ised or staged in the 19th century. European audiences saw these artworks as windows into a foreign world. Guillaumet avoids fantasy and presents a respectful and dignified view of Islamic practise with ethnographic attention, demonstrating how minimal narrative can create deep emotional impact.
The element that acquires the attention of my eyes are the white robes of the devotees. They symbolize the detachment of humans from earthly desires (represented by the contrast of white robes and earthly tones). In the background, one can notice people with their cattle going about their daily chores; tents which denote family life and the smoke gently rising smoothly in the background points to the juxtaposition of spiritual world and earthly world. This slowly transitions from the left to the right of the painting and depicts people moving towards the place of prayer. This could represent the transition of human life from worldly duties to the final state of devotion.
