This introductory lecture will consider the geographical,
political, historical and religious nature of the many nations and the
many cultures that comprise what is now called "Latin America." The term
itself will be discussed. It is a problematic one - a term that began to
be used in the 19th century. The word "Latin" denotes a
dependency on the European nations that colonialized much of the
northern and southern hemispheres as well as the islands of the
Caribbean in the 16th century. The notions of colonialist and
neo-colonialist political theory as applied to Latin America will also
be discussed.
Although this course will focus on the 20th century, numerous references
will be made to the last century's revivals and re-appropriations of
forms and cultural traditions based upon the great pre- Columbian
societies that flourished prior to the establishment of colonial
hegemony. In present- day Mexico and the northern parts of Central
America the heritage of the Aztec and, especially, the Maya civilization
continues to be a significant cultural force. In the Caribbean,
civilizations such as that of the Arawak and Taino peoples were among
the first to be decimated by the effects of the arrival of the
Europeans, yet even today in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic
and other nations, survivals of Taino forms still provide stimulus for
artists. Among the ancient civilizations in South America, the Inca is
perhaps the most outstanding. Many modern and contemporary artists still
derive significant inspiration from the visual cultures of these
peoples.
Also in this lecture the transition from colonial forms of art and
society to those that characterized the 19th century - the era of
independence in many nations - will be examined. The 19th century
witnessed the rise of many forms of visual expression that had been
mostly absent in the early centuries when religious subject matter
dominated art. Independence from Spain was achieved by many nations in
Latin America by the third decade of the 19th century (even though many
countries such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and those nations of the
Caribbean that were controlled by Britain and France continued the
colonialist discourse). From the middle of the 19thcentury onward a
number of new artistic subjects were developed in painting and
sculpture. Genre (depictions of everyday life), representations of
secular heros and themes of heroism, landscape, still life and other
topics were developed by artists in many of the nations of Latin
America. These will be briefly examined in this lecture as will the
images of Latin America painted by those foreign 'traveler reporters'
who were so much in evidence in many parts of Latin America throughout
the 19th century.
By the 1780s the first officially sanctioned art academy was founded in
Mexico. The Academia de San Carlos depended on the transmission of
themes and styles that were promoted by European academies such as the
Academy of San Fernando in Madrid and the Royal Academy in Paris.
Throughout the 19th century - and even in to the 20th - Latin American
art is characterized by both a reliance upon and a desire to rid itself
of European dependence. The development of national styles, the
projection of a national self-awareness and a creation of modes of
vision that can be described as "Latin American" forms the bulk of the
next several lectures.
