The Pueblo Revolt and the Virgin of Macana 

    The Virgin of Macana was made during the 18th century and it was designed to tell the history of the Pueblo Revolution. The revolution took place because the Native Pueblos wanted to regain their independence. This painting is meant to tell the story of the revolution that took place. Since there were not many pieces of artwork of the revolution it makes this painting so much more important. Statues of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and saints were a very popular genre that was transported to the Spanish viceroyalties. To me, statues that include the important figures are symbols of hope, when one is struggling they often look to the higher for hope and help. This painting tells the story of what the Native Pueblos went through during the revolution. In the painting, Mary is shown as a statue and she is also bleeding from her head. She is shown to be wearing a crown that symbolizes that she is from a higher power. Mary is also holding a macana which is a wooden weapon that has obsidian blades. This weapon was not used by the Pueblo people. Mary takes the main focus in the painting because she is standing on a pedestal in a dress and a blue mantle. On the bottom of the pedestal is a crescent moon, she is standing on it to symbolize her purity and immaculate conception. Two men are kneeling to her on either side. The first is a Franciscan Friar and the second is an Indigenous man. The first man has a macana and is symbolizes the Spaniards, whereas the other man symbolizes the Puebloans. Behind these two men, you can see a battlefield scene where the natives are throwing stones at the Spaniards to try and fight back against the gunfire. Many of the Spaniards are wounded very badly on their heads and have arrows in their hearts. The painting also makes the Pueblo people look like barbarians who are killing the innocent. On the right side of the painting, there are men riding in on horses trying to stop the revolution from happening. At the top of the painting above all of the chaos, God is framed in the clouds. The painting is communicating that the battle was very violent and there were so many lives lost in it. It is also showing that the fighting can come to a halt when the higher powers are looked to. Both sides of the people fighting are kneeling to Mary as if to pray and praise her. The painting is saying to the Spanish that they came to fight for their independence and they were willing to do whatever it takes. The painting was intended to show people what happened when they wanted to rebel against the Spaniards and how violent it can get. The painting was also intended to make the Pueblo people look like barbarians because they wanted their independence. It was also intended to tell the history and how the lives were lost of men fighting. Overall the painting also shows how the higher power is watching over the revolution and is trying to bring them together in peace. 

 

This mask is from the early sixteenth century and the mask symbolizes the legacy of the dynasty. During this time period in Benin, it was very rare to have an image of women. This mask was made for the king to honor his mother, which is why it was so rare and important. The color of the mask is ivory and represents ritual purity that they associate with the god of the sea, Olokun. The mask itself was known to attract Portuguese traders who brought wealth to Benin. There was a great relationship between the Edo people and the Portuguese. On the crown of the mask, there are knots that are meant to symbolize Portuguese merchants. The Portuguese merchants also represent the voyages that traveled to Benin. On the forehead of the mask, there are mudfish which represent the king's dual nature as being human and being divine. The mudfish were very important because they could live in water and on land. To the people of the Benin family, this mask represented how the dynasty was kept alive for so many years. The mothers of the family were in charge of raising the future king, with that comes a great deal of responsibility. That is why the mask was so important because it represented the strong women of the family and how it shows through the king, and to the people of Benin City. 

Sources

Dr. Christa Clarke, "Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Iyoba) (Edo peoples)," in Smarthistory, October 10, 2016, accessed February 26, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/queen-mother-pendant-mask-iyoba/.

 ASIA: MODULE 4

When looking at self-portraits there are many different ways of interpreting them. Duerer painted his self-portrait at the age of 28 and was already famous throughout the world. His painting has an extreme amount of detail, from his hair all the way to the fine lines on his face. Duerer also engraved "“ I, Albrecht Dürer of Nuremberg have portrayed myself in my own paints at the age of twenty-eight.”In this time frame, many paintings that were straight on were only of religious artwork, and it was pointed out in many different articles that Duerer resembles Jesus Christ. I think that this painting was painted to look like Christ. If you look at his fingers they almost t make out the letters A.D. which is Duerer's initials and it is one thing he also put on all of his paintings. The fur on his coat was commonly used to make paintbrushes during this time so therefore he may be saying that it was the painting that got him to where he was. 

The portrait of Sin Sukju reveals that he is a higher power because of the clothes he is dressing in. He is dressed in official robes and a black silk hat. There is also a significant amount of detail in the picture the way he sitting exudes wisdom and dignity. There is also a lot of detail in the way his robe is laying on his lap. You can see every crease that is there and under his feet, he has a pedestal that signifies he is of a higher power. Both of these portraits together show similarities to religious artworks, from the clothes they wear to the way they are posed in the paintings. 

Sources 

Dr. Kristen Loring Brennan, "Portrait of Sin Sukju," in Smarthistory, November 22, 2015, accessed    

    February 12, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/portrait-of-sin-sukju/.

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait(1500)," in Smarthistory, December 

    9, 2015, accessed February 12, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/albrecht-durer-self-portrait-1500/.

 Auto-de-fe

    This is a painting done by Pedro Berruguete on an oil panel. This artwork was painted in 1945. This painting demonstrates a ceremony know as auto-da-fe (act of faith). During the middle ages in Spain, there were three dominant religions such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In 1492 the coexistence of these three religions ended. Anyone who was not a Christian was expelled, many of the Muslims and Jews were forced to convert to Christianity. Ferdinand and Isabella established a Catholic institution known as The Inquisition. The officials within the institution were often very suspicious of the newly converted Christians. They did not think that they truly believed in Christianity, this often led to persecutions, imprisonments, and burnings. The painting above it shows the ceremony known as an act of faith. On the right side of the painting, there are two men tied to a post about to be burned. These men probably newly converted Christians who were wrongly accused. At the top of the painting, you will see the officials overseeing the ceremony talking about the accused. They are placed in a box above the other people to show that they are of power. Not everyone has the access to box. There is a man in the center sat upon a throne. He looks as if he is praying with a person to the right of him. There are many people in the painting watching the ceremony. This to me shows that it was a public burning and the whole institution must attend. There are also many guards who are doing the burning and ready to strike at anyone who wants to interrupt the ceremony. The painting itself is exquisite. There are many details such as many rocks and cracks on the ground are shown. The steps throughout the painting have a lot of dimensions as do the people. It is as if the painting is going to come to life at any moment. Many of the people are dressed in some form of robes which is often worn within the Christian religion by those who are high up in the catholic church.

 

Sources

Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, "The Renaissance in Spain," in Smarthistory, July 1, 2018, accessed February 1, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/the-renaissance-in-spain/.

A little bit about me 

 Hello, my name is Tory Vujcich. I am a full-time student at CSUP, I am a double majoring in criminology and psychology. After I graduate I plan to attend graduate school and get my Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.  When I have free time, I love to ski, hike, and workout. One of my favorite artists is Leonardo da Vinci, and my favorite piece of artwork done by him would have to be the last supper.