Title of Project
Hybridity of Costume and the Development of Race: Conflicting Meanings within the Portrait of Don Francisco de Arobe and Sons Pedro and Domingo
Division
Arts
Course or Program
History of Art and Visual Culture
Description / Abstract
This research paper explores the development of racial categories in Spanish colonial America and the complex negotiation of power occurring at the turn of the 17th century through the hybrid elements of costume within the Portrait of Don Francisco de Arobe and Sons Pedro and Domingo. The paper discusses the historical context of the painting, comparable Renaissance portraiture, the conflicting messages conveyed through the subjects’ attire, and the development of a “new” visual language to portray mixed race subjects and the perceived hierarchy of races.
