I like the decorative, playful aspect of miniature paintings and admire the skill it took to get so much information on usually small pages of a book. This is
Iranian Manusrcipt Paintings for you Sharon.
Sharon, there are many styles out there that I find nice, don't understand and try to find the best in them, but non stop me in my tracks as works such as these. It really comes down to what speaks to you as an individual as all our tastes and preferences are so different. Personally, when I see the skill it takes to not only handle the human form with such expertness, but also render clothing and setting in a way that becomes a visual feast of color, design and harmony, I am just in total awe. And if I may so so, I am getting really tired of the photo reference bashing!
Deutsch made three trips to Cairo and it is known that he employed photographers, to capture what he saw. He also collected a great amount of props during these trips and once back in Paris would hire models to pose for him. Based on this information, I conclude that he took the photos as reference to recreate the architectural settings and poses. Then he would dress up hired models and recreate the poses and paint from live. After having done numerous sketches to work out his composition, he would use the observed architectural settings in such a way that they emphasized his focal point. I don