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2.3.9.2: Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen casta paintings

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    179606

    • Julie Wilson Frick, Sabena Kull, Denver Art Museum, Sabena Kull and Dr. Beth Harris, "Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen casta paintings," in SmartHistory, September 12, 2020, accessed November 16, 2020, SmartHistory.org/francisco-clapera-casta/
    • Smarthistory
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    Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): Francisco Clapera, Set of Sixteen Casta paintings, c. 1775, 51.1 x 39.6 cm (Denver Art Museum). Speakers: Sabina Kull, Meyer Center Fellow, Denver Art Museum and Beth Harris.

    Key points

    • New Spain was a viceroyalty of the Spanish empire. The presence of people of many different ethnic backgrounds and their relative social mobility in New Spain prompted Spanish anxiety about racial mixing and a desire to maintain social hierarchies that privileged European lineage.
    • Casta paintings used labels and visual details such as different skin tones, dress, occupations, and settings to distinguish ethnicity and to signal economic and class divisions. These images did not reflect reality so much as represent stereotypes arranged along a biased, hierarchical scale.
    • Francisco Clapera was involved in the founding of an art academy in New Spain. It is likely that many casta paintings were produced for export back to Spain, as part of an effort by artists in the viceroyalty to demonstrate their skill and sophistication, as well as the wealth and productivity of New Spain.

    More to think about

    Casta paintings depicted stereotypes about race and social class in New Spain. How do we, today, perpetuate stereotypes about race, class, and identity in the United States?

    SmartHistory images for teaching and learning:

    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Click on image for larger picture (External link to flickr)
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Click on image for larger picture (External link to flickr)
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Click on image for larger picture (External link to flickr)
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Click on image for larger picture (External link to flickr)
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Clapera, Casta paintings
    Click on image for larger picture (External link to flickr)

    This page titled 2.3.9.2: Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen casta paintings is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Julie Wilson Frick, Sabena Kull, Denver Art Museum, Sabena Kull and Dr. Beth Harris, "Francisco Clapera, set of sixteen casta paintings," in SmartHistory, September 12, 2020, accessed November 16, 2020, SmartHistory.org/francisco-clapera-casta/.