Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Bogart, Michele H. | Frank, Barbara | Lutterbie, John | Monteyne, Joseph | Sanfuentes, Olaya.
Date
2014-12-01
Keywords
Arts, Chile, Exhibition Culture, International Exhibition, National Identity, Nineteenth Century | Art history
Department
Department of Art History and Criticism.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76804
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
During the 1870s, exhibition culture attained particular relevance among the Chilean elite, who saw exhibitions as a forum for portraying Chile as a modern nation. In this context, Santiago's Exposición Internacional of 1875, the first international exhibition carried out in the country, provided a unique opportunity for the display of Chile's material and cultural progress among national and international audiences. This dissertation examines the role the arts played in shaping the international image of Chile as a " civilized" nation, while simultaneously attempting to highlight the unique features of Chilean national identity during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Thus, the use of imagery inspired by previous international exhibitions, the construction of an exhibition building, and a number of promotional and display strategies will be regarded as instrumental in aligning Santiago's international exhibition with its European predecessors. Rather than assuming that international exhibitions functioned merely as commercial platforms for exhibitors, this study looks at these universal exhibitions as settings that greatly surpassed the commercial realm to become strategic platforms for the host countries to put nationalism on display. By focusing on artistic media, iconographies, and the participation of private collectors, this study will also demonstrate that the exhibition was not only a setting that was instrumental to the shaping of the country's public image for international audiences, but also a stage on which the prevailing ideas of the nineteenth century Chilean art system were expressed. | During the 1870s, exhibition culture attained particular relevance among the Chilean elite, who saw exhibitions as a forum for portraying Chile as a modern nation. In this context, Santiago's Exposición Internacional of 1875, the first international exhibition carried out in the country, provided a unique opportunity for the display of Chile's material and cultural progress among national and international audiences. This dissertation examines the role the arts played in shaping the international image of Chile as a " civilized" nation, while simultaneously attempting to highlight the unique features of Chilean national identity during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Thus, the use of imagery inspired by previous international exhibitions, the construction of an exhibition building, and a number of promotional and display strategies will be regarded as instrumental in aligning Santiago's international exhibition with its European predecessors. Rather than assuming that international exhibitions functioned merely as commercial platforms for exhibitors, this study looks at these universal exhibitions as settings that greatly surpassed the commercial realm to become strategic platforms for the host countries to put nationalism on display. By focusing on artistic media, iconographies, and the participation of private collectors, this study will also demonstrate that the exhibition was not only a setting that was instrumental to the shaping of the country's public image for international audiences, but also a stage on which the prevailing ideas of the nineteenth century Chilean art system were expressed. | 293 pages
Recommended Citation
Drien, Marcela Alejandra, "The Arts in the Showcase: Santiago's Exposición Internacional of 1875 | The Arts in the Showcase: Santiago's Exposición Internacional of 1875" (2014). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2681.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2681