I received a "last chance to see" email about an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario which winds up next week. Did I share with you that we did see Faith and Fortune: Art Across the Global Spanish Empire during the summer? It was thought-provoking as it showed guests that conquest, empire-building, and religion have too often been intertwined, as we well know in this country. There have been calls for the Vatican to officially repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery which gave religious approval for dehumanizing peoples which were eventually subjugated.
The art pieces chosen were fascinating, but so were the descriptions of what we were seeing. I'll include a couple of them here, along with the AGOs blurb about the exhibition.
Faith and Fortune: Art Across the Global Spanish Empire brings together more than 200 sumptuous and inspiring works of art from Latin America, the Philippines and Spain made between 1492 and 1898. This exhibition, from the collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, allows us to study critically the mechanics of colonization by examining the visual culture of the Spanish Empire. As artists, books and patrons moved throughout the Empire, the art created was beautiful, highly international and cosmopolitan. Visitors will see Latin American, Filipino and Spanish paintings, sculpture, printed books and textiles alongside each other, revealing the material and artistic connections.
Through the lens of great art, visitors will encounter the global, cross-cultural movement of people, ideas and artforms happening across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Beginning with the earliest episode of colonization — Columbus’s arrival in the Americas — the exhibition offers visitors important insights into the histories of resource extraction, the spread of Christianity, the development of racial categories and Indigenous resistance to conquest. These four centuries of art provide a unique perspective on the lasting legacies of colonization.
No comments:
Post a Comment