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Digital
History>eXplorations>Spanish
Discovery of the New World> Artistic Deciptions of the
Discovery of the New World
Artistic
Depictions of the Discovery
of the New World
Compare
and contrast two artistic depictions of the Spanish discovery
of the New World.
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Landing
of Columbus on the Islands of Guanahani, West Indies, 1847.
John Vanderlyn (1775-1852)
U.S. Capitol Rotunda |
The
Disembarkation at Veracruz, 1951.
Diego Rivera (1886-1957)
Fresco
National Palace, Mexico City |
Questions
to ask:
About
the Vanderlyn painting:
- How
does Vanderlyn depict Columbus?
- What
does this image say about the motivations behind Columbus's
voyage?
- How
does the time that the image was created shape its depiction
of Columbus's landing?
What events were taking place in 1847?
- What
does the location of the painting tell you?
One
commentary on this painting states:
"John
Vanderlyn's Landing of Columbus at the Island of Guanahani,
West Indies, October
12th, 1492 (1847) dramatizes Weir's themes of divine determinism
and origin still more deeply. While members of his train
sink to their knees in the sand, Columbus ignores the surly
bonds
of earth and looks toward God, the cross directly behind
him and close to his head. As in the Embarkation, movement
is crucial
to this painting. Columbus's wake, the earth-bound souls
behind him, starkly contrast with his lofty ideals: the Indians
cower
and worship to his right, and from the left everything ascends
towards the explorer, whose vision and banner lead us away
from the scene itself. The banner, a symbol of European might
and imperialist expansion, precedes Columbus himself, who
is depicted as a mere standard-bearer for forces much larger
than
human agency."
from
Powell's De Soto and United States History
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/DESOTO/empire.html
Read
an account of the Landing by Washington Irving
About
the Diego Rivera painting:
- What
characters does Diego Rivera include in his painting?
- How
does he represent these various figures?
- What
does the image tell us about the artist's attitude toward the
Spanish Conquest?
- How
does the time that the image was created shape its depiction
of the Spanish landing at Vera Cruz?
- What does the location of the painting tell you?
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