Gilded, Carved, and Embossed: Latin American Art, 1500–1800

About

The centuries of European rule in Latin America saw the emergence of new artistic styles and new subjects for representation. Indigenous visual culture of Central and South America permeated the practice of art forms, such as oil painting, that were introduced to the Americas by Europeans. New subjects emerged—including dressed statue paintings, crowned nuns, and armed archangels—and these new subjects found expression in distinctive visual motifs like floral garlands and gold brocading.

This exhibition emphasizes the inventive flair and visual sensibilities that Latin American artists brought to their work. Through approximately twenty-five paintings and sculptures, many graciously lent to Pomona College by the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation, visitors will encounter a broad range of artistic materials and techniques as well as a dramatic variety in scale. Objects from present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Brazil will be included. These often glittering examples of skill and creativity also reflect the dynamics of political power. The forced spread of Catholicism in the Americas created a need for visual tools of conversion; the American artists employed to render these subjects imbued them with local significance, thereby fashioning a separate chapter of art history that we now celebrate.