From Spaniard and Black: Mulatto, 1763, Miguel Cabrera
This piece is one of a series of 16 casta paintings by Miguel Cabrera. Casta paintings were government commission artworks depicting social and racial castes in the Spanish colonies. This painting in particular shows the child of a Spanish man and an enslaved African woman. These paintings were not meant to be racist, but rather a sort of scientific documentation of people before the invention of photography. There are two aspects of this painting that should be highlighted. The first being the cherub-like mixed-race child that is looking directly at the viewer. During this time, the Romanticism period was beginning to take hold, and you can see that light, weightless perfection in the depiction of this child. The second is how dark the African woman is. When viewing the Spanish man and mixed-race child, there is no question where the light source is, and it is not difficult to see depth in their figures. However, when viewing the African woman, you’ll notice that she is very da...