The Amistad incident; one of the few successful ship revolts in the history of enslavement; has been discussed by historians for decades; even becoming the subject of a Steven Spielberg film in 1997; which brought the story to wide audiences. But; while historians have examined the Amistad case for its role in the long history of the Atlantic; the United States and slavery; there is an oil on canvas painting of one man; Cinqué; at the center of this story; an image so crucial to the continual retelling and memorialization of the Amistad story; it is difficult to think about the Amistad and not think of this image. Visual and material culture about the Amistad in the form of paintings; prints; monuments; memorials; museum exhibits; quilts and banners; began production in the late summer of 1839 and has not yet ceased. Art of the Amistad and The Portrait of Cinqué is the first book to survey in total these Amistad inspired images and related objects; and to find in them shared ideals and cultural creations; but also divergent applications of the story based on intended audience and local context.Tracing the revolutionary creation of what art historian Stephen Eisenman calls “a highly individualized; noble portrait of an African man;†Art of the Amistad and The Portrait of Cinqué is built around visual and material culture; and thus does not use images merely as illustration; but tells its story through the wide range of images and materials presented. While the Portrait of Cinqué seems to sit quietly behind Plexiglass at a local history museum; the impact of this 175-year old painting is palpable; very few portraits from the 19th century—let alone a portrait of a black man—remain a relevant part of culture as the Portrait of Cinqué continues to be today.Art of the Amistad the Portrait of Cinqué is about the art and artifacts that continue to inform and inspire our understanding of transatlantic history—a journey 175 years in the making.
#446967 in Books 2014-10-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x .96 x 6.27l; 1.05 #File Name: 1442214244336 pages
Review
83 of 85 people found the following review helpful. Connecting the DotsBy The Peripatetic ReaderPeter Dale Scott has written many books about the Deep State at work in the U.S. government. Scott depicts American society as structurally and inherently schizophrenic. Just as there is the public government and the deep government; and ordinary events and deep events; there are two dominant forces permeating United States history: One egalitarian; believing in fairness; inclusion; and free expression; and the other militaristic and exclusionary; which is only interested in social control.According to his thesis; there are two levels of government; one the government the public is familiar with; with a Senate; House of Representatives; a President; which enact laws. The other government operates on a deeper level — thus; the “Deep†State — and consists of the national security apparatus; armed forces; and intelligence agencies. The thesis in Scott’s present book is the glue that binds these desperate forces together — many times in a symbiotic manner — are the monied elements in Wall Street and their interests for acquisition of global resources (oil; etc.); often working with other major capitalistic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Japan.Of all of Scott’s books — any one of which are highly recommended — this present release is perhaps the most coherent; cohesive analysis of the different levels of governance at work in our society today. Scott examines the significant deep events — those “mysterious events†which involve some level of criminal conduct such as murder with the elements of the deep state — from the last fifty five years — such as the assassinations of JFK; MLK; RFK; Watergate; the October Surprise; Iran Contra; BCCI — and establishes a clear convergence between these events and the persons and interests involved in them; leading to the institutional and constitutional changes enacted after the occurrence of 9/11.That monied; capitalistic interests drive American domestic and foreign policy is nothing new. And Peter Dale Scott is not some wide-eyed conspiracy sensationalist making hair-brained; half-baked; or screwball theories of deep events. What sets Scott’s book apart from similar books is that every assertion; every conclusion; every connection of persons; places and events are referenced; footnoted and fact-checked. Roughly one half of the book consists of endnotes; many of which themselves feature pertinent and important discussions augmenting the main text.It all makes for compelling reading.35 of 36 people found the following review helpful. ... been so reluctant to draw before - for readers like myself who may have felt a little frustrated by ...By Joe SegalThis book ties together many lines of inquiry that will be familiar to readers of Peter Dale Scott's other books and finally acknowledges the natural conclusions that Scott had been so reluctant to draw before - for readers like myself who may have felt a little frustrated by Scott's past hesitation to admit the darkest implications of the history he examines; the American Deep State finally advances the arguments to a place that brings a real feeling of relief and satisfaction.61 of 62 people found the following review helpful. An Intellectual TriumphBy drronnaDr. Scott's latest book on the deep state; (the hidden system that actually runs the government) is an outstanding; unparalelled analysis of our broken political system. Meticulously researched and well structured; this book is for everyone who wants to understand how the government is really run and who the major powers actually are. We hear about the "military industrial complex" and the NSA; CIA; and Wall Street. But how are they all related? What does Big Oil have to do with any of this? Scott weaves together an understanding of what is happening in today's world like no other scholar. (There are one hundred pages of notes as well as an extensive index.) Yet Scott is not a complete pessimist about his findings. "The study of history is one of the most effective ways to avoid repeating it." The Epilogue is a poem by Scott; "Greek Theatre: Mario Savio and the Socratic Quest;" a magnificent ending to this intellectual triumph.
