99. Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Miguel Cabrera
Patron: Sor Juana Ines De la Cruz
Location: Latin America
Date: 1750
Style: Portraiture
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Movement: Art of New Spain = Mexico (Enlightenment/Neoclassical)
Form: Realistic
- Similar to other portraits of the time
- Red curtains behind her were common in elite portraits (higher status)
- Religious garments = convey the deep connection she had with her faith
- Books = communicate her love for learning
Function: A Portrait
Content: Portrait of Sor Juana, a catholic nun and sister of the jeronimite order in New Spain
- Portrayed as a hero (Neoclassical)
- Intellectual rather than traditional
Context: Neoclassical Work
Sor Juana
- Sor Juana was considered one of the first feminist of the Americas because she joined a religious order and became a nun in order to pursue her intellectual interests
- Engaged in debate with philosophers and scientists of the time
- Instead of marrying, she decided to pursue her intellectual passion in a Carmelite convent before converting to the Jeroimite order (more freedoms)
- Despite being a nun, she defended her rights as a woman
- Eventually drew concern from the church
- Church forced Juana to sell her library and give up her pursuits
- She was made to sign a document declaring she would cease her education
- After being denied her intellectual abilities...Sor Juana served as a nurse in an infirmary
- She caught a disease and passed away
Miguel Cabrera
- Portrayed the nun in a way that gave tribute to her religious AND intellectual purposes
- Painted after Sor Juana's death (probably based off of other portraits)
Cross-Cultural Comparisons:
