Its goal was not only to highlight the dire working conditions and injustices of the lower classes, but more importantly, to initiate change.
Dr. Maya Jiménez
In the Caribbean (particularly in Haiti and Cuba) surrealist artists looked to Afro-Caribbean synthetic religions, such as Vodou and Santería, as a way to tap into the unconscious.
Magical Realism in the Caribbean, an introduction
The allure of Paris attracted Latin American artists, who in the absence of an art school back home, eagerly traveled to this artistic capital.
Latin American Artists’ Artistic Pilgrimages to Paris
An ardent believer in the transnational appeal of Surrealism, Moro believed it complemented the ancient myths and the sense of the uncanny in Latin America.
The Beginnings of Surrealism in Latin America
The visual language of surrealism was used to negotiate gender roles and issues of identity.
Women, Expatriates, and Surrealism in Mexico
The Church of São Bento in Brazil exemplifies the Brazilian Baroque, an ornate style that animated the decoration of churches through organic movements reminiscent of sea waves and conch shells.
The Church of São Bento and the ...
In the 1940s, Mexico City became the surrealist capital of Latin America, leading some artists to find the naïve, uncanny, or unexpected in Mexican life.
Male surrealists in Mexico, an introduction
Zemis were powerful objects that could have an impact in any aspect of Taíno life, influencing the social standing, political power, or fertility of an individual.
Taíno Zemis and Duhos
Depicting nudes became a way for some nineteenth-century Latin American artists to challenge conventions, ultimately paving a way towards modernism.
The Challenge of the Nude in Nineteenth-Century ...
Some of the most exceptional objects from South America before 1500 are made of gold, including a number of lime containers called poporos.
Quimbaya artist, Lime container (poporo) in the ...
While the Diquís were known for their gold metallurgy, they also created unique round spheres, known locally as “las bolas” (“the balls”), discovered in groups and often arranged in distinct geometric patterns.
Diquís pendants and bolas
The Muisca would honor a new cacique by covering his body in gold dust and then submerging him, his raft, and other offerings into the sacred lake.
Muisca Raft
Due to its unique properties, gold was considered a precious material, reserved exclusively for kings, caciques (chiefs), and priests. In addition to its social and decorative functions, gold also carried a symbolic value.
Gold and the Isthmo-Antillean Region, an introduction
Many Taíno words, such as canoe, hammock, and tobacco, still exist in today’s Spanish as well as English vocabulary. Descendants of mainland migrants and traders across the Antilles, the Taíno offer a unique perspective into the diversity and exchange of Caribbean life.
Introduction to Taíno art
Remarkably naturalistic painted wooden sculptures made the Quito School famous in colonial Ecuador.
The Quito School and Wooden Sculpture
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. Learn about its colonial era history that began in the sixteenth century.
An introduction to colonial Brazil
After the Spanish invasion, images played an important role in the process of conversion of the indigenous peoples. Indigenous artists were also taught European artistic conventions at schools through the use of print sources.
Indigenous Artists, Early Mission Schools, and Print ...
Elites of New Spain decorated their private residencies with portraits, furniture, silver, textiles, and ceramics to showcase their wealth and status in colonial society.
Elite secular art in New Spain
A Japanese-inspired folding screen made in Mexico were elite objects that reveal the important ways in which the Manila Galleon trade network connected Mexico with Asia.
Biombos and the Manila Galleon trade
The largest cathedral in Latin America is an impressive space, filled with ornate altarpieces, soaring wall paintings, and polychromed wooden sculpture.