Description

A highly original history of American portraiture that places the experiences of enslaved people at its center

“An argument for a new kind of American art history . . . a textbook for the future of the field.”—Mia L. Bagneris, caa.reviews

This timely and eloquent book tells a new history of American art: how enslaved people mobilized portraiture for acts of defiance. Revisiting the origins of portrait painting in the United States, Jennifer Van Horn reveals how mythologies of whiteness and of nation building erased the aesthetic production of enslaved Americans of African descent and obscured the portrait’s importance as a site of resistance.

Moving from the wharves of colonial Rhode Island to antebellum Louisiana plantations to South Carolina townhouses during the Civil War, the book illuminates how enslaved people’s relationships with portraits also shaped the trajectory of African American art post-emancipation. Van Horn asserts that Black creativity, subjecthood, viewership, and iconoclasm constituted instances of everyday rebellion against systemic oppression.

Portraits of Resistance is not only a significant intervention in the fields of American art and history but also an important contribution to the reexamination of racial constructs on which American culture was built.

Portraits of Resistance: Activating Art During Slavery

Product form

£45.00

Includes FREE delivery
Usually despatched within 5 days
Hardback by Jennifer Van Horn

3 in stock

Short Description:

A highly original history of American portraiture that places the experiences of enslaved people at its center “An argument for... Read more

    Publisher: Yale University Press
    Publication Date: 25/10/2022
    ISBN13: 9780300257632, 978-0300257632
    ISBN10: 0300257635

    Number of Pages: 344

    Non Fiction , Art & Photography

    Description

    A highly original history of American portraiture that places the experiences of enslaved people at its center

    “An argument for a new kind of American art history . . . a textbook for the future of the field.”—Mia L. Bagneris, caa.reviews

    This timely and eloquent book tells a new history of American art: how enslaved people mobilized portraiture for acts of defiance. Revisiting the origins of portrait painting in the United States, Jennifer Van Horn reveals how mythologies of whiteness and of nation building erased the aesthetic production of enslaved Americans of African descent and obscured the portrait’s importance as a site of resistance.

    Moving from the wharves of colonial Rhode Island to antebellum Louisiana plantations to South Carolina townhouses during the Civil War, the book illuminates how enslaved people’s relationships with portraits also shaped the trajectory of African American art post-emancipation. Van Horn asserts that Black creativity, subjecthood, viewership, and iconoclasm constituted instances of everyday rebellion against systemic oppression.

    Portraits of Resistance is not only a significant intervention in the fields of American art and history but also an important contribution to the reexamination of racial constructs on which American culture was built.

    Customer Reviews

    Be the first to write a review
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)
    0%
    (0)

    Recently viewed products

    © 2025 Book Curl,

      • American Express
      • Apple Pay
      • Diners Club
      • Discover
      • Google Pay
      • Maestro
      • Mastercard
      • PayPal
      • Shop Pay
      • Union Pay
      • Visa

      Login

      Forgot your password?

      Don't have an account yet?
      Create account