Latin American Art

This course introduces key issues and phenomena in the arts and visual culture of the region known as Latin America from the rise of the great Indigenous civilizations, through the Spanish conquest to the early twentieth century and the full emergence of modern nation-states. We will examine the role of art and so-called art in the heterogeneous cultures across the continent and their role in the construction of its diverse regional identities and their attendant historical narratives, including the incorporation of Pre-Columbian and folk cultures. We will discuss the tensions between religious and secular, imperial, proto-nationalist, and nationalist visions for the function of arts and culture in its various regions. Finally, we will pay special attention to the representations of race, ethnicity, class, and gender, and their role in the Latin American identities’ formation.

            By the first-hand interaction with the art objects available in NYC art collections, during class visits and individually, and using knowledge and concepts acquired in class, you will develop confidence in analyzing and interpreting artworks in both oral and written form, and contextualizing them in relation to existing scholarly discourses. Working in two-person teams, you will also become fluent in using libraries, archives, digital collections, and image repositories to create a proposal for an exhibition of art from Latin America on the subject of your choice.

            By paying special attention to the issues of methodology, this course serves as a springboard to further in-depth study of Latin American or other, non-US an non-European art forms, as well as the Chicano/Latinx cultural production within the current U.S. territory and beyond.