The Amistad incident, one of the few successful ship revolts in the
history of enslavement, has been discussed by historians for
decades, even becoming the subject of a Steven Spielberg film in
1997, which brought the story to wide audiences. But, while
historians have examined the Amistad case for its role in the long
history of the Atlantic, the United States and slavery, there is an
oil on canvas painting of one man, Cinque, at the center of this
story, an image so crucial to the continual retelling and
memorialization of the Amistad story, it is difficult to think
about the Amistad and not think of this image. Visual and material
culture about the Amistad in the form of paintings, prints,
monuments, memorials, museum exhibits, quilts and banners, began
production in the late summer of 1839 and has not yet ceased. Art
of the Amistad and The Portrait of Cinque is the first book to
survey in total these Amistad inspired images and related objects,
and to find in them shared ideals and cultural creations, but also
divergent applications of the story based on intended audience and
local context. Tracing the revolutionary creation of what art
historian Stephen Eisenman calls "a highly individualized, noble
portrait of an African man," Art of the Amistad and The Portrait of
Cinque is built around visual and material culture, and thus does
not use images merely as illustration, but tells its story through
the wide range of images and materials presented. While the
Portrait of Cinque seems to sit quietly behind Plexiglass at a
local history museum, the impact of this 175-year old painting is
palpable; very few portraits from the 19th century-let alone a
portrait of a black man-remain a relevant part of culture as the
Portrait of Cinque continues to be today. Art of the Amistad the
Portrait of Cinque is about the art and artifacts that continue to
inform and inspire our understanding of transatlantic history-a
journey 175 years in the making.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
