Uncovering a Common Heritage: Latin American Academies of Fine Arts in the Century of the Independence

Cracolici, Stefano

Abstract

During the nineteenth century, the process of nation-building in Latin America was accompanied by the creation of publicly funded art academies charged with the delicate task of forging new images for the newly independent countries. This essay intends to offer an overview of Latin American academic art by focusing primarily on the transatlantic mobility of artists and artworks during the nineteenth century. The training and experience that Latin American students of art could acquire during their prolonged sojourns in Europe allowed them to become familiar with new artistic languages and techniques and to intervene directly in the cosmopolitan debate about the role of art in modern societies. The new global turn in art-historical studies provides us today with the unique opportunity to look at the transnational dimension of nineteenthcentury Latin American art through new conceptual lenses and to unravel new aspects of the shared cultural heritage that links Europe to Latin America.

Citation

Cracolici, S. (2021). Uncovering a Common Heritage: Latin American Academies of Fine Arts in the Century of the Independence. In S. Garcia-Ferrari, H. E. Offerdal, & M. A. Kania (Eds.), Why Latin America Matters: A collection of Essays (46-62). Centre for Contemporary Latin American Studies, University of Edinburgh

• Online Publication Date: Nov 1, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 20, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 20, 2022
• Pages: 46-62
• Book Title: Why Latin America Matters: A collection of Essays
• Chapter Number: 2
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1651655
• Publisher URL: https://www.ed.ac.uk/contemporary-latin-american-studies/science-and-environment/why-latin-america-matters
• Contract Date: Mar 30, 2021