In this session of the conversation club, we will address the relationship between art and colonialism in the context of Spain and Latin America. We will analyse how art was used as a tool of power and control during the colonisation. Unlike the anti-confessional culture of the Protestant settlers in the United States, coming from England and Northern Europe, the Iberian culture transferred to America was a culture in which both the creation of images and the decorative arts were deeply intertwined with Catholicism.
We will talk about artistic fusion, where European and indigenous influences were mixed. We will discuss the role of the Church and the representation of the sacred in colonial art. We will also reflect on how current artistic expressions reinterpret that past. Participants will be able to share their views on the colonial legacy in visual culture. We will explore examples of representative works. The goal is to generate a critical dialogue about history and identity.
Join our conversation club at Instituto Cervantes London on Tuesday, 7th October 2025 at 6:30pm. See you then!
If you would like to prepare beforehand, take a look at some of the articles listed below. We recommend taking note of the vocabulary used.
Recommended reading:
https://www.rtve.es/television/20240703/colonialismo-arte-otros-relatos-thyssen/16172322.shtml
Useful videos:
https://youtu.be/JzXHLuhQE1U
