“Not your grandfather’s art history” is a digital reader of art history essays authored largely by scholars who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). This project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (www.neh.gov): Democracy demands wisdom.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these essays, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Not your grandfather’s art history:
essays
Juan de Pareja, The Calling of Saint Matthew
An extraordinary statement of freedom, Pareja includes his self-portrait in this famous biblical narrative.
Timur’s entry into Samarkand, page from the Zafarnama
Timur's equestrian image would have been the most recognizable embodiment of his royal legacy in the Zafarnama.
A dream of Italy: Black artists and travel in the nineteenth century
Created as the Civil War was coming to an end but at a time when all Americans were not yet equal citizens, this painting invokes an idealized landscape, with references to both past and present.
Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free
Sculpted in 1867 by Mary Edmonia Lewis, Forever Free (Morning of Liberty) is positioned between and among three events that forever changed the trajectory of African Americans and the United States.
Pylon of the Nubian Lion Temple at Naga
The pylon of the Lion Temple in Naga projects an image of husband and wife reigning as equals, a common feature of Nubian governance.
An Indian ivory statuette in Pompeii
In 1938, an excavation at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii revealed a small carved ivory of Indian origin.
Spoons from West Africa in Renaissance Lisbon
Ivory spoons from West Africa were imported into Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Images of Africans in the Codex Telleriano Remensis and Codex Azcatitlan
Indigenous artists in Mexico portrays the first images of Black Africans in the Americas.
The Radical Floriography of Sarah Mapps Douglass
The images that Sarah Mapps Douglass and peers made in friendship albums may be the earliest documented signed art works by African American women.
Shah Jahan’s portrait, emeralds, and the exotic at the Mughal court
Emeralds symbolized the exotic and the rare—the perfect emblem to encapsulate the wealth and aspirations of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Luis Nishizawa and mexicanidad
What are the oversized skeletons doing? Japanese Mexican artist Luis Nishizawa thoughtfully portrayed Mexican customs like this during his lifetime.
Portrait of Chabi
Portrait of Chabi is a glimpse into the crucial role played by court dress in the consolidation of Mongol rule across Eurasia.
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