18th Century Mexican CASTA Paintings and the Birth of Colourism
On Demand
|Playback from an in person event
Casta paintings illustrated the varying degrees of intermixture between colonial subjects, defining them for 18th century Spanish officials. A discovery in Leicester Museums and Galleries art store has lead to new research and an upcoming exhibition. Michael discusses. See more info below
Time & Location
On Demand
Playback from an in person event
Guests
About the Event
An introduction to Mexican "CASTA" paintings from the colonial era on display at the
Leicester Art Gallery. The paintings by anonymous ingenious artists represent racial mixing
hierarchies, depicting diverse familial combinations of Spaniards, Indigenous peoples, and
Africans. The paintings reflect colonial ideas about race, purity, and socio-economic status in
18th-century New Spain, ideas which spread throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.
READ
The Guardian: Gallery aims to reclaim narrative with its racist ‘casta’ paintings
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/26/gallery-aims-to-reclaim-narrative-with-
LISTEN
The BBC: BBC Radio Four Thought
Tara Munroe reveals what she learned when she rescued some badly damaged paintings
which were due to be thrown out.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012fsb
WATCH
Pride and anxiety in New Spain: Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen Casta paintings, c. 1775
https://youtu.be/Opdr_qnGPcw?si=PpuvKHHvmlhCKMpw
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