Cosas Vistas
The exhibition Cosas vistas: The Everyday in Modern Painting is the sixth installment of the partnership between the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and the Museo de Arte de Ponce. It explores various transformative changes in Western painting during the second half of the 19th century. After several centuries in which artists were constrained by the tastes and stylistic restrictions of art academies, many turned their attention to new themes and painting techniques. They began to capture in their works the contemporary world, the reality around them, and a renewed social concern that influenced the liberal arts.
This phenomenon emerged in both Europe and America, as evidenced by the selection of works from the Museo de Arte de Ponce's collection presented in this exhibition. The paintings displayed predominantly depict everyday scenes, and the characters are represented without any intent of idealization. This inclination towards the ordinary is particularly reflected in Puerto Rican painting from the first decades of the 20th century. The desire to preserve local identity fostered the depiction of regional types in our painting, emphasizing the values of the Puerto Rican identity.