Happy Birthday Miguel Cabrera!
Miguel Cabrera was a painter born in 1695, in New Spain, what is now Oaxaca, Mexico. Cabrera was considered the greatest painter of his time. He painted religious works, portraits, as well as secular "casta" scenes, dealing with genre subjects, for the Catholic Church and his rich patrons. He is credited with founding the Mexican Academy of Painting in 1753.
His "casta" paintings are interesting to me since they allow us to begin to understand the social ranking system in place during his lifetime, and perhaps lead to a deeper understanding of racial issues in today's Mexican society.
Cabrera died in 1768.
*casta refers to racial hierarchy classification...used primarily to socially rank those of mixed racial marriage.
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