Final Post

                My research concentrated on the painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, Painting of Two Young Women (1778) by an unknown author (previously it was credited to Johann Zoffany). Dido herself was a child of these two merging cultures – her father was an English admiral of noble birth and her mother an African slave who worked in the Caribbean.

                All our posts focused on the influence or exchange between African and Western cultures, instead of highlighting borders as areas of clash between discerning worlds. Sadly, most of these encounters did take place amongst conquest and conflict. However, we concentrated on the historical events that influenced European art and material culture. Our time period ranged from 16^th to 19^thcentury and encompassed Europe, British colonies in the Caribbean, and Africa so it was interesting to witness where our research took us and how our paths diverged and intertwined in certain points.

                My posts focused on how women of contrasting skin tones were sexualized in multiple artworks.  The painter Gérôme was one of the artists who especially developed this trend. Gérôme was interested in European imagery that was inspired by the styles of North or Sub-Saharan African art – what is generally described as Orientalist style. This artist provided European audiences with an exotic, sumptuous, and sexual view of the ‘Orient’.  Europe was fascinated with this part of the world as illustrated in “ethnological” illustrations, photographs, and once travelling became more widespread. Two of his paintings were analyzed in one of my classmate’s post. Two distinct portraits of fierce looking and young soldiers were analyzed – one displays an African man and another Turkish soldier both with intricate tunics, turbans, and a weapon in their hands. These paintings focus on what makes them foreign, ‘non-European’ as the intricate fabrics, dark-skin, ‘unusual’ weapons, and larger lips. The artwork I analyzed, Painting of Two Young Women, followed that same pattern - It highlighted Belle’s exotic features by juxtaposing this character with her fair-skinned, clearly European cousin. Belle, like these soldiers, is not wearing European outfits; she is wearing a light cotton dress and a turban – a piece of clothing extremely associated with the colonies as can also be seen in these Gerome’s paintings.  

Source: Temur Jabiev’s April 9^th post

                In Painting of Two Young Women, the two ladies are portrayed as equals when it came to social-economical status.  This topic was also addressed in the posts on the painting Duchess of Portsmouth (1682). This portrait by Pierre Mignard displays Louise de Kéroualle in a sumptuous gown in a balcony area as she gazes directly at the viewer. On her side she has a young African girl also luxuriously dressed gazing at the Duchess in awe. In the Duchess of Portsmouth there is a clear hierarchy whereas Painting of Two Young Women was controversial for displaying the characters on equal footing.  The young girl in Mignard’s portrait is a servant and is there to highlight the Duchess’ wealth and charity; Dido was portrayed  as a character with agency (she is the focus of the painting) and wealthy (intricately dressed in her own dress, not a donation of a rich benefactor) 

Final Blog Post

Throughout my previous blog posts, I have been exploring the relationship between the slave child and the Duchess in The Duchess of Portsmouth. This research led me to shockingly numerous connections not only within the artwork itself but to other artwork before and after it in history. These connections were to other pieces of artwork that ranged in looking eerily similar to The Duchess, like Titian's portrait of Laura Dianti, to being of American origin and only being linked merely by the presence of a slave and a noble in the portrait. I was not surprised to find that while much was known about the commissioner of the portrait (The European or American in the picture) next to nothing was known about the slave shown and only within historical context can anything be speculated. However, as time progresses and these paintings are looked at in a modern light, people are beginning to see these portraits as portraying two people, not just the one that at the time would have possessed the focus of the painting. So in a way these people, whom in their lifetimes would have been looked down upon as being less than human, are able to be preserved in history and have curious people, like ourselves, continue to investigate their identities.

Across the spectrum of all of these blog posts, there are a number of themes and ideas that have not only been presented but likewise researched and discussed. Despite the fact that many people, including myself, chose to begin with the portrait of The Duchess of Portsmouth, even that particular portrait was branched off upon and discussed in a number of meaningful ways. From the relationship presented to the presence of the red coral linking to a study of gender, every aspect of this painting and others of this nature were discussed. Other people discussed Orientalism and branched off from what we had talked about in class to gain a better understanding of it. Particularly the exoticism and sexualization of the women showcased in these paintings were interesting points of interest to read about for me.

If anything particularly is to be taken away from this blog, it is probably that art showcases the meaningful relationships between African/ Oriental peoples and Europeans. That taken as a whole, even an entire genre of art that you may have disregarded before, such as portraits of Europeans with black slaves, tells a story that is important within history. My classmates investigated such important themes as gender, the economics of the slave trade, portraiture, etc. all linking to the idea of borders. As well as not only a wide variety of themes, but also mediums as well. It would be interesting to see how similar concepts of borders are portrayed today, and how, if at all, these current portrayals can be linked to those in the past.

Final Blog Post

        During the 19th century, expanding technology and markets brought a change in borders and a convergence of cultures, particularly in Europe and Africa. The affects can be seen today and what is important to note is how these colliding cultures are represented through the visual arts. The representation of Africans in European art varies, however each student's blog posts on the theme of borders maintains a few common strings that hold them all together. It is interesting to see that throughout each different painting, there are the same themes of showing status and wealth, showing exoticism and being worldly, and finally superiority.

          An example of the theme of status and wealth that is present in all of the representations of Africans in European art is the portrayal of servants. In many of the paintings young African servants were shown as a prop to whoever was having their portrait done. Showing the servant shows how much money the person in the portrait has because it was expensive to have servants. In addition, the African servants are painted very dark and the Europeans are painted very light skinned. This emphasizes how light skinned the European is who is getting the portrait done, which was a symbol of status at the time because it meant you could afford leisure instead of working outside. In addition, showing objects from other countries showed wealth because it was expensive to travel and trade.

          Another common thread to all of the posts is the theme of exoticism and worldliness. As mentioned above having objects, whether they are people or art, from other countries was considered exotic. That is because the cultures outside of Europe were so different from the Europeans. The differentness of items from other cultures made the people who had them appear to be cultured, well traveled, and worldly. It became trendy to add elements of other cultures to your life because it set you apart from other Europeans who didn't have the time or money to do such things. 

          Lastly, the blog posts contain themes of superiority and power struggles. There are power struggles between the aristocrat and the servant, the colonist and the colony, the West and the Orient, and the men and the women. It is easy to see the superiority complex, especially in paintings of servants and their owners. For example, the European getting his or her portrait done is looking straight at the viewer showing confidence and strength while the servants are looking at the owner. This shows how the servant depends on the owner. In addition, representations of Africa and the Orient show it to be wild, unkept, sensual, and corrupt. This heightens the Westerner’s views that their culture is superior.

          Overall there are many themes that bring the main theme of borders together. As the cultural borders changed during this time so did the perceptions of culture. Using art history to understand and explain the perspective of the time is helpful and allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of the time. The most important thing one should take away from this project is the power that art and media has in relaying perceptions onto people. Art is powerful and we should use it to express the goodness that is in this world.

Final Jump Across Borders

This blog assignment has forced our class to extend our knowledge beyond the West and into the world of the colonies and their cultures. These blogs have illustrated how economically lucrative the colonization efforts were for European countries. Not only with inanimate objects, such as the red coral, but with people as well. The slave trade was highly profitable but extremely dangerous for the African population. Millions of citizens were displaced from their homes, sold into the trade, and died due to long journeys and horrible conditions. Although the colonization efforts produced negative side effects such as the slave trade, it did provide the exchange of commodities and cultural enlightenment across borders.

This has been a very interesting topic as it has pertained to other classes I have taken in my last few years of college. It is funny how experiences and new tasks can connect back to previous assignments, which creates a sense of familiarity and reaffirms your knowledge concerning a topic. This happened as one student decided to discus the economic value and history of red coral. I had learned about the material in a previous class about African colonialism that taught me the cultural and royal significance of the precious material. It was used for jewelry and other decorations adorned by the Oba or king of the Benin kingdom. Once the Portuguese arrived, it intrigued the Europeans who started exporting the coral. As Cecelia Harold indicates in her posts, the use of red coral as a merchandise commodity was highly coveted by Europeans colonizers. Red coral has profound cultural significant in the Benin kingdom. To this day, the Oba or king uses the product as jewelry and personal ornamentation in order to display status and wealth to the rest of his people. Thus, when the Europeans arrived, the material’s value and appeal grew exponentially. Red coral became a potential source of revenue for the colonizers while the material still retained its traditional significance for the Benin people.

Overall, these blogs have covered a range of topics that have sought to cross borders from contemporary society into the era of colonization. Subjects such as the depiction of Ottoman soldiers as powerful warriors, the relationship between white females and their slaves as depicted in portraitures (specifically in Portrait of the Duchess of Portsmouth by Pierre Mignard, 1682), the life in harems as illustrated in Gustave Boulanger’s painting The Harem, and the compositional contradictions between white and black female skin and their sexulization for a male audience in the French artist Gérôme’s painting, have been researched by our class. Collectively, these blogs have successfully entered the realm of the “Orient” and the European colonies, which I hope will educate and entice people to further consider the historical period of the colonies and their influences on European art.

Personally, this project has taught me to be more critical when examining art. My own research has focused on European artists using elements of the “Orient” to produce a composition aimed at entertaining audiences outside its depicted culture. Thus, these paintings become an imaginative image that functions as a stage performances instead of reflecting realistic cultural practices but rather European fantasy. This project has taught me to not instantly accept a painting’s subject matter as truthfully depicting a culture.

Borders Project-Post #4

My previous blog posts explored the connection between African and European countries in regards to the trade of red coral. Specifically, this project focused briefly on the economic aspect of this trade, but expanded to include the use of red coral in visual and material culture. Italian art used red coral in paintings to signify protection, particularly in conjunction with Christ as a child. In the Benin Kingdom of Africa, the oba historically wore coral as a status symbol and the representation of his power. Thus, aside from the trade between African and European countries, red coral also shows the diverse uses for goods that were utilized in both areas. The scope of this last post will focus more globally on the connection of my research with that of the other students in the class. In doing so, this post will include a discussion of how all of the works are connected and the ultimate take-home message of this project.

At the core of all of the topics, everyone’s posts are related in that they discuss the connection between African and European countries, and by extension, the idea of borders. Further, the starting point for these posts was a European artwork that allowed each author to focus on particular aspects of European culture. In doing so, everyone was able to explore these similar ideas in a number of different directions. The types of topics examined included gender, race, class, and trade, all of which allowed for an understanding of social issues that were present at the time of the production of these European artworks (and still persist today). Thus, though the posts consider different artworks and subjects, the essence of a number of posts concern social structures and problematic aspects of European representation of people in African countries. In example, the conception and representation of the “Orient” by European artists was explored in a couple of posts. In particular, the authors discussed the exotification of cultures outside of the European or Western perspective, as well as the differences of representation that can be seen between female and male artists. This was just one of the many problematic aspects of European culture during this time that were explored in different posts.

Overall, the main conclusion to draw from the combined posts is that the connection between European and African countries is complex and intricate. Focusing on just one European artwork from this time period allows a researcher to discover a variety of information about cultures in Europe and Africa, and how they relate to one another. While following up on new trains of thought, social relationships and the issues that arose during this time are also readily accessible, and are able to tell the viewer more about the visual representation of the time. The most important things to take away from this project are the complex relationship between these countries and the social implications of their interactions. Also, readers should take away the importance of focusing on these interactions and how they impacted both areas. As a future exploration, it would be interesting to research how these implications have impacted our contemporary culture.

The blog project for this course allowed class members to explore certain aspects of European visual culture in relation to African countries, ultimately examining the idea of borders and how that can be seen in the works of art. The posts cover diverse topics, but are connected with respect to the relationship between Europe and Africa. The study of this relationship further allowed for a rich discussion of social impacts and how they can be seen in visual culture from Europe and Africa.

Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3

In my previous blog post I wrote about how elite women used African slaves in portraiture as a status marker.  The portrait of Mademoiselle de Clermont in Mademoiselle de Clermont, Princess of the Blood, as a Sultana, Served by some Slaves is a clear indicator of how African slaves, because of their race, are used as indicator of status.  By being portrayed with slaves women were able to stay within gender roles of this time will still asserting her dominance and control.                                

As benefactors of the arts elite women had much control over the representation of their own images when it came to their portraiture.  This meant they used the visual arts to assert their own positions socially.  Examining certain portraits of elite women painted with African slaves suggests how race was perceived in culture and used for hierarchal standing (Palmer 245).  Hierarchy of the elite and the African servants is blatantly expressed through the visible wealth of the elite, each ones skin tone and the positioning of each individual.  This means in portraits race could advance an individual as well as degrade them. 

Another example of portraiture is Mademoiselle de Blois and Mademoiselle de Nantes.  This portrait just likes the others has the presence of the well-dressed African servant.  The painting itself gives the viewers signs that reveal the status of the African servants and their relationships with the white women they accompany, and that show their position as firmly inferior (Palmer 245).  The elite women’s size in the portrait gives the first indication of their role in the portraits; the African servant is all significantly smaller than the white women.  Another factor is although the African servant is at the very center of the portrait the slave is not the main focus of the painting.  The clothing of the African servant is also made of expensive material, but it is less elaborate than the dresses of the elite women, another influence aiding in this argument.  And once again the black attendant gazes adoringly at the white mistress, suggesting that her great beauty inspires her.

The contrast in these portraits does show off the elite women to a greater advantage.  If interpreting the combination of white women and black slaves as solely an aesthetic choice meant to highlight beauty then does not adequately address why this became such a prevalent visual choice or that women frequently chose to have themselves represented within its framework, or how viewers understood it (Palmer 249).

In commissioning portraits with African servants, elite white women demonstrated their awareness that they had an interest in creating a visual hierarchy based on racial difference.  These paintings, which focus on white women, certainly shed light on conceptions of gender.  However, the prominent inclusion of the African slaves also makes these paintings about race.  In conclusion royal white women had an interest in creating a visual hierarchy based on the aesthetics of skin color.  In comparing themselves favorably to people of color they emphasized their dominance and authority over race. 

David W. Cohen and Jack P. Greene, Neither Slave nor Free: The Freedman of African Descent in the Slave Societies of the New World (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1972), pp. 134–71 

Jennifer L. Palmer, ‘The Princess Served by Slaves: Making Race Visible through Portraiture in Eighteenth-Century France’ Gender & History, Vol.26 No.2 August 2014, pp. 242–262.

Blog Post 1

Blog Post 1

            The theme I would like to explore is portraits of Europeans with African servants, particularly African American children.  To start off one of the first questions to ask when looking at these images is, ‘where did the African children in these portraits come from?'  Slavery had existed in Europe for many centuries.  Although some parts of Europe had slavery abolished in places such as Southern and Eastern Europe, slavery remained a normal part of everyday life.  Slave trade across the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast brought African slaves to places such as Spain, the south of France, and Portugal.  The first painting I am examining is Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth by Pierre Mignard.  When it comes to European portraiture by just looking at it, it is almost impossible to tell if the young African Americans in the paintings are enslaved, one would have to know some history.  The confusion is due to the manner in which these children are depicted.  The adolescents are well dressed in fine clothing, wearing jewelry and are showing admiration for the European next to them by looking up at them.  Some of the African American children are even smiling while gazing up at the adult next to them.  Various Europeans in the portraits have a hand placed on the children, a gesture one would expect them to do to their own children, not their servants.  All of this is most likely due to being a servant of a noble.  Most young slaves and servants of a noble probably would have received lessons in social graces, such as what to wear and how to eat properly.  Portraits of aristocrats began including black servants to suggest the reach of Western power.  These portraits showed how Africans became simply additions within the images of the aristocrats.  They could be seen as “exotic," or decoration replacing the usual dog or flower.  Or they could be perceived as a symbol of power in European paintings.  The slave had become the new symbol of prestige and wealth in society.  An excellent example of these descriptions is Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth, which was created in 1682 by Pierre Mignard, a French artist.  In this portrait Mignard depicts the Duchess of Portsmouth with a young female African servant.  The servant is well dressed, with expensive clothes and jewelry.  She is even holding a seashell full of pearls in one hand and coral in the other.  The Duchess has her hand on the child, which is the only indicator that she even knows the child is there because the Duchesses gaze is directly on us, the viewer.   All while the child is looking up at her with appreciation.  Altogether these aspects further my argument of how African servants were decoration and sign of power in aristocratic Europeans.  I would like to find more images, beyond that with women and servants, which further this argument.