Anthony Van Dyck and the trope of the black attendant
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Date
2016
Authors
Van Haute, Bernadette
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
This article examines Van Dyck’s use of the motif of
the African attendant in his extant oeuvre in order to
establish patterns and strategies of representation
of the racial other. It reveals the artist’s paternalistic
interpretation of a trope that was aesthetically informed
by examples set by Titian and Rubens but adapted to
the tastes of his patrons as determined by the fashion
of the time and place. By considering the iconography
in conjunction with the reception of the works I disclose
the varying connotations of the motif demonstrating
the artist’s wit in developing early visual forms of racial
humour. These unique adaptations expose Van Dyck’s
use of ridicule as a pattern of paternalism rooted in his
social ambitions and Christian convictions yet always
subject to the conditions of display. The value of this
research lies in its contribution both to Van Dyck
scholarship and to the history of race and racism in
early modern Western Europe.
Description
Keywords
Paternalistic interpretation, Van Dyck, Anthony, Racial other, Racial humour
Citation
Van Haute, B. (2016). Anthony Van Dyck and the trope of the black attendant. Acta Academica, 48(2), 18-47.