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Week Three – Casta Paintings
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INITIAL THOUGHTS
When I first saw the Casta paintings, I instantly noticed the emphasis on race, color, and economic status. Initially, I was not surprised at the depiction of people of color having less, or appearing that way, as it is a common motif or theme in many historical paintings and pieces of art. However, I was taken by the inclusion of people of color in historical European art as this is not commonplace. This began me questioning the motive and reasoning behind the Casta paintings and their popularity.
While taking a closer look at the paintings and the different settings in each of the frames, it is clear that the less “white” or caucasian the subjects depicted seem to appear, the less “civilised”, at least in historic European standards, they are shown to be. This began me thinking that maybe, one of the motives behind these paintings was to strengthener the ideology that anyone who was not white or of European descent was less than their caucasian counterparts. This ideology would be in line with what Columbus was saying in his journal when speaking about the indigenous people and how they would make good slaves. The Casta paintings serve as evidence to support the ideology of the time.
Another reason that the paintings may have been done in this fashion could be to portray the reality of latin america and the evident social and economic differences between the indigenous people and europeans. The paintings clearly show the abundance of wealth that the europeans had at the time compared to people of color. The reason that the indigenouse people may have been shown wearing no shoes or clothed in less fancy dresses may not have been because the artist thought of people of color as lesser than, but because then it was not possible for someone of color to obtain such things because they were given less opportunities than the Europeans at the time.
SELF REFLECTION
When looking at the Casta paintings, I also noticed labels underneath such as “espanol con India. Mestizo” Which translates to spanish with indian results in a mixed race child. These labels put an emphasis on the importance that europeans placed on ethnic makeup. At first I was put off by this idea of labeling people and making assumptions about them and the way the lived solely on their ethnicity until I realised the parallels between modern american culture. Whenever asked where I am from, I always answer with Chilean despite the fact that I was born and raised in Canada and have only been to Chile once. I realised that I myself put great emphasis on my ethnic makeup and how others might make assumptions about me based on my ethnicity.
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Week Three – Casta Paintings
Posted by: feedwordpress
INITIAL THOUGHTS
When I first saw the Casta paintings, I instantly noticed the emphasis on race, color, and economic status. Initially, I was not surprised at the depiction of people of color having less, or appearing that way, as it is a common motif or theme in many historical paintings and pieces of art. However, I was taken by the inclusion of people of color in historical European art as this is not commonplace. This began me questioning the motive and reasoning behind the Casta paintings and their popularity.
While taking a closer look at the paintings and the different settings in each of the frames, it is clear that the less “white” or caucasian the subjects depicted seem to appear, the less “civilised”, at least in historic European standards, they are shown to be. This began me thinking that maybe, one of the motives behind these paintings was to strengthener the ideology that anyone who was not white or of European descent was less than their caucasian counterparts. This ideology would be in line with what Columbus was saying in his journal when speaking about the indigenous people and how they would make good slaves. The Casta paintings serve as evidence to support the ideology of the time.
Another reason that the paintings may have been done in this fashion could be to portray the reality of latin america and the evident social and economic differences between the indigenous people and europeans. The paintings clearly show the abundance of wealth that the europeans had at the time compared to people of color. The reason that the indigenouse people may have been shown wearing no shoes or clothed in less fancy dresses may not have been because the artist thought of people of color as lesser than, but because then it was not possible for someone of color to obtain such things because they were given less opportunities than the Europeans at the time.
SELF REFLECTION
When looking at the Casta paintings, I also noticed labels underneath such as “espanol con India. Mestizo” Which translates to spanish with indian results in a mixed race child. These labels put an emphasis on the importance that europeans placed on ethnic makeup. At first I was put off by this idea of labeling people and making assumptions about them and the way the lived solely on their ethnicity until I realised the parallels between modern american culture. Whenever asked where I am from, I always answer with Chilean despite the fact that I was born and raised in Canada and have only been to Chile once. I realised that I myself put great emphasis on my ethnic makeup and how others might make assumptions about me based on my ethnicity.
read full post >>
Casta Paintings
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I was drawn to the series of Casta Paintings largely due to my own initial reaction to seeing them. I realized that I found them strange. I am so used to seeing only white faces in European art, which obviously … Continue reading → read full post >>
Week 3 Response
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In both of this week’s readings there was a occurring theme of identity; and parallel to this the complexity it. In the Catalina De Erauso reading, the behaviour that Catalina portrays while she is travelling around is a complete contrast to the type of lifestyle expected of a nun. I think this conveys how the […] read full post >>
Week Three: The Colonial Experience
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Coming from a country with a colonial history myself and having studied development and international relations, I found this week particularly interesting as it allowed me to engage with colonial experiences from another perspective. Whilst I am extremely familiar with … Continue reading → read full post >>
Week Three: The Colonial Experience
Posted by: feedwordpress
Coming from a country with a colonial history myself and having studied development and international relations, I found this week particularly interesting as it allowed me to engage with colonial experiences from another perspective. Whilst I am extremely familiar with … Continue reading → read full post >>
The Early Development of the Latin American Identity
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In light of the Fall of Granada in February of 1492, marking the end of Muslim rule of the Spanish Empire, and the declaration of the Alhambra Decree that ordered the immediate expulsion or forced Christian conversion of all Jews issued in the following month of March, Colombus’ exploration seems to have been rather unimportant …
Continue reading "The Early Development of the Latin American Identity"
read full post >>Blog Post #3: Week 3
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A common denominator with different casta paintings is how they treat race as a central aspect of the piece of art. This is due to the definition of casta: a term that describes mixed-race individuals in Spanish America, resulting from unions of Spaniards, Indigenous, and Africans. In many casta paintings, we can see depictions of the ethnic and racial combinations resulting from mestizaje, such as mulatos. Casta paintings offer rich insights on the quotidian practices of colonial individuals, including dress, diet, and household practices; this is information that archaeologists desire. Thus, they're not only beautiful pieces of art but more than that, they represent historical data.
However, (as we see with Lieutenant Nun) there are many stories and experiences that these paintings lack. There are without a doubt some stories that these paintings fail to capture, which can only be captured with words on a piece of paper. These paintings represent a static image of a supposedly highly structured and regulated colonial world that was imposed on colonial peoples through their bodies. I'm interested in the moments where visual and archaeological pieces of evidence provide different stories. These paintings are used to explore how the imagined, ordered world depicted in casta paintings meshed with daily life in colonial communities. But, what happens when historical documents, and material culture trump the reality that is portrayed in the painting?
When we use paintings as historical data, there are many positives. For example, (1) it shows a visual record of a particular moment in time, (2) it conveys a variety of details about people, places, objects, and events, and (3) it portrays information about everyday life and behaviour that is best communicated in visual terms (hair and clothing styles, interior design). On the other hand, paintings or images, in general, can also portray a tainted illustration of the event since the relationship of the painter to his or her subject is not always clear. One example could be that the emotions and thoughts of those involved are not evident. So, what does this mean?
This means that when we study casta paintings, it's important to study them in conjunction with other historical data. This is due to the fact that information from paintings is often suggestive rather than definitive; we must pair paintings with other evidence such as documents and oral histories, to determine if the information is unusual or part of a larger pattern.
So, that ends my investigation for this week, and here I propose my question for the class:
What are the limitations of using a painting as a historical source?
Blog Post #3: Week 3
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A common denominator with different casta paintings is how they treat race as a central aspect of the piece of art. This is due to the definition of casta: a term that describes mixed-race individuals in Spanish America, resulting from unions of Spania... read full post >>
Week Three: The Colonial Experience
Posted by: feedwordpress
I had learned a little about casta paintings in a cultural anthropology course a few semesters ago. Arguably, race is a constructed concept, and in colonial Latin America, it seems race was constructed to favour and ensure Spanish supremacy in the area. Interestingly, I think this relates to the general idea of Latin America; it […] read full post >>
