The Painting of Colonial Mexico 1700-1790

The Met has an extraordinary new exhibition of the painting of colonial Mexico – particularly of the 18th century. We forget how important Mexico and Mexico City were in the 18th century – when the former British colonies of North America were just getting organized. Did not St Peter, the first Catholic church in New York, obtain from Mexico a example of such painting, a crucifixion still present there today? It was before this image that Elizabeth Seton prayed. And moving from the visual arts to music, over the last six months St Mary Parish in Norwalk and the Society of St Hugh of Cluny have sponsored masses with orchestral religious music from 18th century Mexico.

The artists of that time worked within the conventions established by the Baroque masters of Europe but localized the dress and landscapes, added a more emotional and extravagant note and mixed in exotic color as well. The exhibition covers religious art – often large format images intended for churches – genre scenes, portraits and unique allegorical images.

Need we add that Mexico in that century was an exclusively Catholic world? The religious dimension is dominant throughout this exhibition.

(Above) A somewhat perplexing allegory of the Spanish empire.

(Above) A nun upon the taking of her vows; she carries a “badge” that also constituted a unique genre of Mexican painting (below).

Saints. (Above) St Rosalia in procession against the plague in Palermo. (Below) St Rose of Lima with a fine portrait of a donor.

(Above) Unusually, a rather restrained version of St Lucy – with no eyeballs in the dish she holds. (Below) A striking, unusual double portrait of a bishop and a high chancery official.

Dramatic, emotionally charged images often characterize Mexican art of this period. (Above) the death of St. Francis Xavier; (below) the recovery of the body of St. John Nepomucene (Nepomuk).

For more details on the exhibition see HERE.