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The
Art of Many Cultures Meet in Mexico
Many cultures
contributed to the unique styles of colonial mexican art. The
artistic traditions of the Aztecs and earlier indigenous cultures
continued after the conquest. Spanish art istelf combines European
styles with those of the Islamic culture of the Moors. Spanish
trade routes brought art from China and the Philippines directly
to Mexico, adding Asian influences to Vice-Regal Mexican art.
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Folding Screen
Pear-Shaped
Bottle
St.
Michael the Archangel
Barqueno
Writing Desk
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Patron
of the Arts: The Catholic Church
An Important
Patron of the Arts in Vice-Regal Mexico during the 17th and 18th
centuries, Mexican artists created a wide array of objects for
use in the Roman Catholic Church. Paintings and sculptures of
Mary, Christ, and saints; silver chalices and lecterns; embroidered
textiles; objects made from ceramics and feathers all played a
role in religious observance.
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Virgin of Guadalupe
Missal
Stand/Lectern
St.
James on Horseback
The
Adoration of the Shepherds
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Art
Objects are Part of Daily Life
Art created
for use in homes in viceregal Mexico reveals the tastes and fashions
of wealthy Mexicans. Furniture ranged from small portable writing
desks and chests to large wardrobes. Portraits introduce women
adorned in rich clothes and jewels. Artists created containers
from tin-glazed earthenware and lacquereed wood. Wealthy Mexicans
drank chocolate from coconut shells mounted in silver and aristocratic
ladies kept cigarettes in special gold cases.
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Portrait of an Indian Lady
Wardrobe
Platter
Coconut-Shell
Cup
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A
New Style Inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome
A major change
in artistic styles arose in the late 1700s. In Mexico City, the
Academia de las Nobles Artes founded in 1783 provided formal artistic
training and set taste. A more restrained neoclassical taste inspired
by the art of ancient Greece and Rome replacd the flamboyance
of earlier Mexican art.
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Bench
Flower
Pots
Spice
Container
Wardrobe
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