Art of Colonial Latin America A&I (Art and Ideas) [Paperback]

Gauvin Alexander Bailey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0714841579 | ISBN-13: 978-0714841571 | Publication Date: February 1, 2005

A lively account of the interaction between European and indigenous artist that took place during more than 300 years of Spanish and Portuguese colonial influence in Latin America (c. 1492-1820). The book offers a fascinating insight into viceregal, missionary and civic architecture, as well as painting, sculpture and such 'minor arts' as furniture, textiles and ceramics. This is a long-awaited book on an increasingly popular subject and includes many previously unillustrated works. For over three hundred years, from the era of Christopher Columbus to the struggles for independence around 1820, Latin America witnessed an artistic flowering of enormous creativity and originality. In a unique way, the art and architecture of Aztec, Inca and Guarani civilizations blended with those of Europe, North Africa and the Far East. In particular, the Spanish and Portuguese empires in Central and South America created the climate for a flourishing, diverse and distinct version of Renaissance and Baroque culture, produced under utterly different social and geographic conditions from those found in Europe. The products of this unique culture include some of the most lavish and visually arresting works of art and architecture in the world. In this lively overview of the tremendously rich and varied artistic output of the area from southern Chile to northern California, Gauvin Alexander Bailey discusses viceregal and missionary as well as civic and rural architecture, alongside religious and secular painting, sculpture, metalwork, textiles and ceramics. But he also looks back to pre-colonial influences and concludes with an examination of how twentieth-century artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo interpreted their artistic heritage. Even today, the art of the colonial period remains at the centre of Latin American society, culture and identity. The result is a book that provides a new and comprehensive understanding of all the influences that led to one of the most cosmopolitan artistic outpourings in the whole history of art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gauvin Alexander Bailey is Assistant Professor of Renaissance and Baroque Art at the Clark University. His works include, Between Renaissance and Baroque: Jesuit Art in Rome, 1565-1610, and Art on the Jesuit Missions in Asia and Latin America, 1542-1773. Dr Bailey has also curated a number of museum exhibitions on Renaissance and Baroque Art in Italy and Latin America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714841579
• ISBN-13: 978-0714841571
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Ceramics
  • #7 in Books > Arts & Photography > Sculpture

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book to reaD, November 4, 2007

By 

Jenna Snelson (San Diego) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Art of Colonial Latin America A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

The book Art in Colonial Latin America cover dates ranging form 1492 all the way to 1820. This book is perfect for those who are interested Latin American art in South America as well as the southwest United States. Bailey has a way of capturing the reader right from the beginning. His book starts with the first encounters and then takes you through how both the native people and the Spanish respond to the mix of cultures, he does an amazing job at telling both sides of the story. The reader really gets a true sense of the difficulties the natives faced with their new encounters. Bailey does a tremendous job on making the indigenous people the foreground of this new change. In chapter two his introductory statement shows just that "Until quite recently, historians of the conquest of the Americans focused almost entirely on the actions of the European conquerors and settlers. They treated the indigenous people as a silent backdrop to their Spanish and Portuguese protagonists, and paid scant attention to their cultures after the fall of the great pre-Hispanic civilizations." Bailey's book not only has very valuable history but along with it he has some wonderful images that are able to express exactly what points Bailey is trying to get across. For example when Bailey is discussing a type of life style such as colonial mansions he pairs the text with a beautiful full page image (page 324-325) so the viewer/reader can really connect with what aspects Bailey is discussing.
Bailey's book is very well done with the information and the images; however the one weakness that I find is in the layout of the book. When I first picked this book up I found the front cover to not only be boring but very uninviting to read. The title was very small, isn't centered on the cover, and to me the image was to small in comparison to the size of the book, it has a very unfinished look. When I opened the book I was again disappointed with the layout, I thought the text was to small and the large margins on the sides and small margins on the top and bottom of the pages where very distracting to me. The other thing that didn't seem quite right was the placement of the page numbers on the side of the left side of the page, also very small, and the pages with only images didn't have number either.
This books information is very well organized, Bailey starts with the pre-Hispanic world and then goes through to the Spaniards coming to the new world and then how the two cultures star to become one. Bailey gives you a brief table of contents so you can see what each chapter is about. In the back of the book there is a glossary which defines and explains words, events and artist. This glossary is very helpful especially with a culture that isn't as well understood. After the glossary Bailey provides us with a list of key dates and a map, which is very easy to refer to. Bailey has an index which also makes finding works of art very easy. Every one should read this book, they can gain so much knowledge from Bailey's insight. However I think that the language and contents of this book would be very appropriate for high school age kids and older.
Before reading this book I didn't know nearly as much about the indigenous people and how they were affected by the Spanish coming to the new world. In my studies I always focused on the Spanish and their reaction on coming to the new world. My eyes were really opened to the fact that they indigenous people not only had to change their way of life, but had such a great impact on the religious icons found in the Saints honored by the Spanish. This is a really good book easy to read and very interesting, bailey has a way of capturing his audience and really showing them both side of the story.

5.0 out of 5 stars Art of Colonial Latin America, December 15, 2009

By 

ERO - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Art of Colonial Latin America A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

Great book for a really broad overview of Latin American art. Gives a brief introduction to Pre-Colonial Latin American art as well.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adios Churrigueresque, November 16, 2007

By 

Peter P. Fuchs (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Art of Colonial Latin America A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

I've always really enjoyed Colonial Latin American Art. Recent years have brought some excellent shows: the great survey at the Philadelphia Museum made one realize that though none of this art may be great, it's mostly so charming. We recently stayed at the Casa Colonial Hotel in Cuernavaca which is filled with colonial art and it made it one of the most enjoyable travel stays we've ever had. Even the bloody Cristos which are perhaps the least inviting part of the art have a more contemporary echo in Cuban artist Carlos Alfonso's work. At any rate I've read many books on Spanish Colonial Art and Gauvin Bailey's at least a number of new insights and interesting facts, though behind it seems the idea that the common person was-- mirabile dictu-- a happy artistic participant in the whole colonial period. One greets that with a certain skepticism if one has read a lot of history of the period. Also, curiously, the term Churrigueresque seems to have been replaced by the equally tonguetwisterish estipite-baroque. I expect there is some social justice reason for this, as Churrigueresque may have offended somebody for unknown reasons, but it seems that fancy word has
gone the way of all flesh.