Blacks Depicted as a Symbol of European Power Through the Ages

Authors

Lydia Breksa, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Symbols, Blacks, European power

Abstract

Only twenty-seven years ago, Japanese marketeing experts explained that viewers of their advertisements "respond favorably to blacks because they seem more full of energy than whites," and "appear to have a wild side chat seems beyond normal human strength."' In 1988 Japan, this Western-inspired image was not uncommon.2 Such depictions of blacks did not come from thin air. Blacks have been portrayed in European art in various ways throughout history; however, there are recurring themes that persist even today. Such portrayals not only represent society's perceptions but also strengthen them. As such, a study of how European art depicted blacks throughout time is an essential step to better understand and address racism today. The juxtaposition of the blacks depicted in rwo pieces of arrwork, Cristovao de Morais's Renaissance Era Portrait of Juana de Austria with her Black Slave Girland Ludwig Hohlwein's advertisement for Kaloderma Shaving Soap of 1924, display a common theme. In these two pieces, Europeans depict blacks as symbols of European power.

Recommended Citation

Breksa, Lydia (2016) "Blacks Depicted as a Symbol of European Power Through the Ages," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 45: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol45/iss1/6