Non-Western Art Blog-The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has a very diverse art scene, inspired by several different factors, including Taino pictographs, Spanish colonial art and contemporary styles such as Romanticism, impressionism and abstract art. Santo Domingo, the capital of The Dominican Republic, is the center of Dominican art. The colonial zone in Santo Domingo is home to many art studios, galleries and exhibition venues and there are frequent exhibitions of paintings, photographs and sculptures throughout this area.
This painting, created by Jaime Colson, showcases a group of people dancing to merengue under the roof of an open terrace in the countryside. For some background information, merengue is the national music and dance style of The Dominican Republic and it's composed of a fusion of European, African and Taíno influences. It's considered a significant part of Dominican culture and Dominican national identity. The emotions of the two musicians can clearly be seen, showing how into it they are and how much they enjoy playing merengue for others to dance to while the other figures are seen dancing and enjoying the music. This painting is very colorful and vibrant and it demonstrates Dominican culture through its music and its people. Colson styles his figures to emphasize the more geometric qualities of their anatomy and in this particular painting, we can see how the figures have an almost unreal, sculptural quality. Colson was considered a modernist painter and him, along with another artist, Yoryi Morel and Darío Suro, were considered to be the founders of the modernist school of Dominican Painting. I selected this artwork because it shows how music and other forms of art can coexist in one singular composition and it's aesthetically pleasing to me because you can see certain emotions and how music can bring people together.
The artist, Celeste Woss y Gil was recognized as an important figure in the modern art movement in The Dominican Republic. She uses several art styles in her work such as post-impressionism and social realism. This painting refers to a market scene, depicting the daily lives of the community residing within a marketplace, including vendors and the items that are being sold. It shows a vibrant atmosphere and the daily interactions between the community. There were several events occurring at this time which influenced a lot of the art created such as the aftermath of the United States' occupation and the start of Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship in The Dominican Republic. Under Trujillo, a lot of artists, including Celeste, found in the representation of local customs and of the black and mixed Dominicans, a way to more truthfully portray their diverse society (Calcaño 2023). I selected this artwork because it demonstrated the reality and the daily lives of many Dominican citizens, particularly black and mixed Dominicans, under the dictatorship of Trujillo and how his dictatorship impacted the community.
Cándido Bidó utilized tropical colors, bold lines and simplified forms in his art. In this particular painting, and most of his other artwork, the viewer can see exotic animals, fruits, flowers, landscapes and portraits of local women, showcasing the love he had for his surroundings and the daily life of the average Dominican, which he saw growing up. He mostly used contrasting tones of blues, bright reds, orange and yellows. The sun is also seen in this painting, which was one of his most recognizable parts of his art. To me, he captures the beauty and simplicity of Dominican Republics' landscapes and its people. I selected this piece of art because it just seemed really beautiful and it included different things that caught my eye such as the flowers, the dove and how it seems to be night but the sun is it still up and very vibrant.
References
Dominican Art. (n.d.). Santo Domingo Tourism. https://www.santodomingotourism.com/culture/art/
ExpositionArt Blog. (2023). Modern and Contemporary Art from the Dominican Republic. Blogspot.com. https://milenaolesinska.blogspot.com/2015/11/modern-and-contemporary-art-from.html
Jaime Colson, Merengue – Smarthistory. (n.d.). Smarthistory.org. https://smarthistory.org/jaime-colson-merengue/
Fall in Love With The Dominican Republic: The Home of Merengue. (n.d.). Finest Resorts. https://www.finestresorts.com/blog/fall-in-love-with-the-dominican-republic-the-home-of-merengue/
C, B., & Bido, ido. (n.d.). Cándido Bidó (20 May 1936 – 7 March 2011) Dominican Artist. https://www.artisticord.com/2013/09/dominican-artist-candido-bido.html
Paulino, L. (2015, March 11). Candido Bido - Morning Walk (Paseo de la Mañana), 1979. Artisticord.com; Blogger. https://www.artisticord.com/2015/03/art-candido-bido-paseo-las-1000-am-1979.html
Wow! Upon first glance I love all the bright colors. I also really like the smoothness of the first painting by Jamie Colson because I feel like it brings a softness to the piece. Everything is very upbeat and the movement in "Merenge" almost feels like you can imagine the scene and everyone dancing together. I like how the Dominican Republic values color as apposed to a lot of the eras we followed throughout the semester. This is definitely an art era I would have loved to learn more about and get to see all of their unique artistic methods.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed all the class blogs and was happy to find blogs that selected countries that I would not have expected such as yours. You did a good job relating each painting to an era that we studied. When I think of the Dominican Republic, I envision people wearing bright colors and a simple landscape such as the painting by Jaime Colston where the background is a clear blue sky and the painting by Candido Bido with a simple hill side. My favorite painting is Morning Walk by Bido. I like the color of the flowers in the foreground and the contrast of the stripes in the woman’s dress. The simple background draws the eye to the woman and flowers.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog and your analysis. In each work, you chose 3 interesting images, but the one that caught my attention the most was "Morning Walk" by the artist Candido Bino. I loved how he used bright, tropical colors with defined lines, making this painting look wonderful. I was also interested in how these images capture the life of Dominicans in different aspects through elements such as fruits, flowers, and landscapes, which I find even more interesting. I appreciate how you chose these works of art, which I had never seen before, but now I'm curious to see more works of art from the Dominican Republic.
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