By Lauren Cooper, Alexandra Ellis and Mollie Brooks
Background to Casta Painting
By Lauren Cooper
Casta Paintings emerged in New Spain, most notably in Mexico, during the reign of Philip V and grew in popularity through the 18th century. They were commissioned by the Spanish to depict the process of racial mixing, or ‘mestizaje’, which took place between the three main racial groups inhabiting the colony at the time: the Spaniards, Amerindians and Africans. Not only do the paintings reveal a clear fascination with genealogy at the time, they also reflect the Sistema de Castas, which was established by Hispanic elites and operated through distinguishing racial labels and constructing a racial identity in correlation to socioeconomic status. For contemporary historians, these paintings prove useful in understanding the complexity of interracial relationships in New Spain and the fundamental role that ethnicity played in creating the foundations for social hierarchy. Furthermore, they demonstrate the colonial elite’s ideas concerning “purity of blood” and how the desirable and undesirable racial types could be distinguished from one another.
This blog will examine the renowned series of Casta Paintings by the Mexican artist Miguel Cabrera, produced in 1763 in oil on canvas, and provide a close analysis of three paintings which explore different racial combinations. Despite originally being associated with religious and secular artwork, Cabrera’s Casta Paintings are regarded as some of the genre’s finest, leading him to be heralded as one of the greatest painters of the New World. Like most Casta Paintings, this series consists of sixteen scenes depicted on separate canvases, however only fourteen of the canvases remain today as two are missing. Each painting depicts a man and woman of different ethnicities and their subsequently mixed-race children. The paintings also feature material objects, food products and the flora and fauna of the New World, which the historian Saiz claims adds to the realism of the work, presenting ‘slices’ of colonial life.
Pintura de Castas, 1. De Español e India Mestizo
By Mollie Brooks
This is the first casta painting in the set made by Miguel Cabrera in 1763. The male is dressed in European clothing, this seems to be a Spanish male because he is white and dressed in clothing of European origin. He has a tri-corner hat and a white wig, whilst also wearing a long blue coat and ruffles. He is holding the child with one hand, which shows that the child is his and with his other hand is gesturing to the wife asserting his dominance. The woman is of Indian origin, however, she is wearing a mixture of European and Indian clothing. The cloth headpiece, the reboza and the apron are made of woven fabric, which is traditional Indian clothing. She is also wearing pearls and ruffles. Rebecca Earle has argued that, in the first half of the 18th century, casta paintings shows all races and classes to be equal in how they dressed, which included Indian women, as shown in this image, with pearls and ruffles just like the Spanish man. However, later in the 18th century and 19th century there was much more of an emphasis on showing how the different races were different in their culture and how they dressed. The scene seems to be in a market outside a stall, due to the woman being of Indian origin it can be questioned whether she was buying items or was selling them. This is because generally Indian women were poorer and therefore we need to think about whether she was actually buying, as the pearls and riches show, or whether she was working, she is wearing an apron which points towards the latter.
The child seems to be the same skin colour as her mother, which shows that once a Spaniard and Indian woman have a child together, the child is no longer fully Spanish. The painting is not showing the child in a bad way, showing that the mixing of Indians and Spaniards was quite accepted in ways. In addition, Carrera argued that ‘by the seventeenth century, it was thought that the union of a mestizo and a Spaniard resulted in castizo offspring and, ultimately, by the third generation, the offspring of a castizo and a Spaniard returned to Spanish calidad, meaning pure Spanish blood.’ When thinking about how this image reflects views on race at the time we can look at how this painting shows the Indian woman as being quite well accepted by the Spanish male. This is because, in general, Indian women were seen as better to be with than Africans, because African women were sometimes seen as quite violent and portrayed in this way in the casta paintings. However, when looking at Indian women they are portrayed just as you would expect a Spanish woman to be portrayed. She is seen to be inferior to her husband, which was usual at that time, compared to images of African women and Spanish men who were sometimes seen being violent towards the men, showing them to be more superior. In addition to this, the notion of race during the early modern period was more about purity of blood than anything else. The Spanish believed that keeping the blood pure of any other races was key to preserving their superior race. However, in Mexico they had to make some exceptions due to the fact that they were largely outnumbered by Indians when they arrived in 1519. This meant that they made an exception for Indians and believed that the Indian blood wasn’t blemished, and it was effectively pure.
Pintura de Castas, 4. De Español y Negra; Mulata
By Lauren Cooper
In his Casta series, Cabrera includes several works which explore the mixing of black African and Spanish blood. The painting on the left ‘De Español y Negra; Mulata’, depicts a Spanish man, with his arms around his mulatto daughter and on the right hand side stands his black African wife.
An immediate observation that can be made is the clear difference between the skin tones of the figures. The woman’s skin appears much darker than that of her husband and daughter, in addition to the rest of the surroundings, which is further emphasised by the black headscarf and cape that she wears. This contrast could be implicit of the difference in status between ‘pure’ Spanish and black Africans, as many had been brought to the New World as slaves and were therefore situated on the lowest level of society. There was a significant stigma around African people throughout the colonial period, as to the elites they posed a threat of rebelling which could impact the stability of the social order. Many faced significant discrimination and were prohibited from bearing arms.
Furthermore, the woman appears to be scowling at her husband and gesturing towards him, whilst he avoids eye contact and comforts his child. This portrayal seems something of a role reversal, as the husband takes on the more maternal, nurturing role with his daughter, whilst the wife appears more distant from her family. This could again reinforce the idea that Africans were less civilised and possessed violent, threatening tendencies, unlike a more racially “pure” Spanish or Indian woman, who would conform to a traditional female role, as depicted in the other Casta Paintings in the series.
Sumptuary laws forbade women of colour from wearing gold, silver or pearl jewellery, as well as hispanic clothing, silk shawls and low cut dresses, however some allowances would be made if the woman were to elevate her social standing by marrying a white Spanish man. This concept is reflected in the painting, as the woman wears a conservative black shawl, however underneath she wears an elaborate floral patterned European dress. The advancement of status through racial mixing is further emphasised through the European garments worn by the mulatto child, demonstrating how she can be defined as more “racially pure” through identifying more closely with her white European heritage. The brown fitted coat and wide-brimmed hat worn by the Spanish man, also signifies his status as a middle class artisan.
The basket of fruit carried by the woman in addition to the leafy tree in the background could also be symbolic of the nature of New Spain, highlighting its fertile ground and plentiful supply of fresh food, which communicates an appealing image of the region to a European observer.
Pintura de Castas, 7. De Español y Albina, Torna Atrás
By Alexandra Ellis
This painting portrays the outcome of racial mixing between an albino woman and Spanish man. It emphasises the regression of their daughter in the racial hierarchy due to her darker skin complexion. This is further reinforced through the title which literally states her reversion through the words ‘torna atras’.
The image of the albino mother is a particularly interesting one, especially when viewed through the lens of an eighteenth century audience. The focus on her black heritage, as seen through the appearance of her daughter, reflects creole and European concerns regarding the blurring of racial boundaries. Such distortion to the social order could jeopardise their ability to rule as well as the legitimacy of the slave industry. Moreover, during the period the figure of the albino became a source of intrigue and human curiosity. They were often regarded as grotesque and immoral creatures, totally at odds with polite society and custom. Nevertheless, there was a strand of society that believed their extremely white skin tone proved that humankind could revert to so called “original whiteness” and divine purity.
From this image, it is evident that a powerful colonial message of Spanish authority is being communicated. Cabrera’s use of the familial and domestic implies an attempt to qualm elite anxieties over legitimacy and peninsular control. This, coupled with the position of the Spaniard as head of the family, literally raised above the other figures, acts to reinforce the notion of colonial supremacy. There is also an explicit reference to the global nature of Mexican society during this period. The mixing of different culture and goods is a prominent feature of this piece of artwork. Both the mother and daughter wear European style blouses with intricate lace sleeves, coupled with pearl jewellery and head coverings fashioned out of netting. The mother is also seen to wear an ornate calico skirt with floral embroidery, and what seems to be a copper bangle on her wrist. The father wears a brown overcoat and black hat, colours that signalled wealth and status during the eighteenth century. As this painting was most likely produced for a European audience, the feature of seedpods, a colourful parrot, and the view of nature from the window, communicates a message of how bountiful New Spain was. It suggests an abundance of commodities and resources which the Spanish could exploit, whilst simultaneously satisfying a European desire for exotic and exciting.
Analysis and Consumption
By Alexandra Ellis
From my research it is clear that Casta paintings cannot be viewed as a single genre due to the fact they hold such an array of different meanings. How these meanings were then decoded by contemporary consumers depended greatly on their individual background and circumstances. Hence why no single cohesive message can be drawn from the paintings analysed in our project. Although casta artwork does provide modern viewers with a window into colonial society, they do not necessarily portray an authentic image of life in the Viceroyalty. This is because they represent an idealised impression that the political elite sought to diffuse in order to reinforce colonial control and the racial hierarchy. Whether these works were explicitly commissioned or not, artists such as Cabrera worked for an implied European audience and thus reflected their expectations accordingly. Therefore, it is important to note the specific colonial messages concealed in these paintings. Casta painting only came into existence after the riots of 1962 in Mexico City, which begs the question: why? Could this form of artwork be a way of reassuring the Spanish peninsular that everything was under control in the colonies, and that their authority was not in fact slipping? In my opinion this seems likely. When viewing Cabrera’s work from this perspective, subtle reassurances litter most of the 14 paintings we have at our disposal to analyse.
With regards to the consumption and circulation of casta paintings, there remains a lack of scholarly information on the subject. I found this to be a great challenge throughout the process of this project, as there is so little known specifically about the patronage and contemporary consumption of Cabrera’s casta collection. However, historians such as Katzew and Saiz highlight how Casta artwork in general was bought by Spanish functionaries, bureaucrats and clergy whist serving in the colonies, and then transported home with them as souvenirs and gifts. The majority of these paintings were then displayed in official public spaces such as universities and palaces. The most noteworthy and popular location to view Casta artwork however was the Natural History Museum of Madrid, in which the public flocked to see a glimpse of the exotic. Nonetheless, where this specific series by Cabrera was displayed and consumed during the period still remains unknown.
Conclusion
By Mollie Brooks
When looking at this topic, we decided the best way to approach it would be to focus on one set of the casta paintings and the most famous of these seemed to be made by Miguel Cabrera. There seemed to be different ideas depicted in all of the paintings, which included Indians, Africans and Albinos and we focused on each of these and how they reflect the ideas of race at the time. We did this through reading on casta paintings in general and the specific images we have looked at, whilst also using our prior knowledge from studying this module to analyse the images.
The overall aim of these paintings by Cabrera are to show that when the Spanish conquered Mexico, it changed what race meant to them more than ever before. The Purity of Blood was a key theme running through all the paintings. The albino image shows how the Spanish population will no longer be pure. Whilst the Indian image shows this but in a more positive way because they weren’t seen as impure. This is in complete contrast to how Africans were viewed in these images, which was a threat. Overall, casta paintings, although clearly not a very accurate depiction of families in colonial Spain at the time, do show how people viewed racial mixing at this time, whether with Indians or Africans.
Bibliography
Magali Carrera, Imagining identity in New Spain: race, lineage, and the colonial body in portraiture and casta paintings, (Austin, 2003).
Ilona Katzew, Casta Painting: Images of Race of Eighteenth-Century Mexico, (London, 2004), pp. 39-53.
Rebecca Earle, ‘Two Pairs of Pink Satin Shoes’ Race, Clothing and Identity in the Americas (17th-19th centuries)’.
Susan Deans-Smith (2005), Creating the Colonial Subject: Casta Paintings, Collectors, and Critics in Eighteenth-Century Mexico and Spain, Colonial Latin American Review, 14:2, 169-204.
Ilona Katzew, ‘Why an Albino? Some Notes On Our New Casta Painting by Miguel Cabrera, Unframed, 22 April 2015, <https://unframed.lacma.org/2015/04/22/why-albino-some-notes-our-new-casta-painting-miguel-cabrera>
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