Buen Gusto and Classicism in the Visual Cultures of Latin America, 1780-1910 by Paul B. Niell and Stacie G. Widdifield (eds.) (review)

The book Buen Gusto and Classicism in the Visual Cultures of Latin America, 1780–1910, edited by Paul B. Niell and Stacie G. Widdifield, reveals how neoclassicism emerged as a powerful cultural and political force across Latin America during late colonial and early national periods. Through varied case studies, the volume demonstrates that neoclassicism was not merely a reflection of European influences but a dynamic construct shaped by local sociopolitical contexts, reinforcing colonial and national power structures while subverting dominant narratives. Key examples include El Templete in Havana, Cuba—a memorial blending Spanish and Creole identities—and the idealized depiction of Tiwanaku’s Gateway of the Sun in Bolivian print media. The editors organize essays into three thematic sections—urban space, consumption, and ideological divisions—to trace the evolution of buen gusto (good taste) as a tool for cultural reinvention.

(Ed.). (2014). Buen Gusto and Classicism in the Visual Cultures of Latin America, 1780-1910 by Paul B. Niell and Stacie G. Widdifield (eds.) (review). Journal of Latin American Geography, 13(2), 225–226. https://doi.org/10.1353/lag.2014.0029