Journey to the archives of the New World: Pathosformeln of stars, gods and saints.

• Grant number: 24/00834-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: June 04, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Art Fundamentals and Criticism
• Principal Investigator: Cássio da Silva Fernandes
• Grantee: Priscila Risi Pereira Barreto
• Supervisor: Rafael Lopez Guzman
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Granada (UGR), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/04595-5 - Pathosformeln of the New World - stars, gods and saints., BP.DR

Abstract

This study travel project is part of an ongoing doctoral research inspired by Aby Warburg's scientific cultural approach. It involves the analysis and arrangement of images in variable sequences, similar to the panels of the Bilderatlas Mnemosyne. The research focuses on five iconographic themes: Archangel Michael, Saint Rose of Lima, and the Virgins of Guadalupe, Cerro and Caacupé, exploring them through five specific works of art. These themes are problematized as "images of cosmic spiritual orientation". Key questions revolve around the histories of these stylistic forms, the aesthetic languages used, and the selective principles applied in their creation. The function of these artistic expressions within their cultural context is questioned, while reflecting on what Aby Warburg termed "historical psychology of human expression." Thus, an "exegetic excursion" begins through the hybrid empathetic formulations (Pathosformeln) present in these representations, expressing polar tensions and energy inversions sublimated in the American colonial context. After two years of coursework in the doctoral program and a year of funding dedicated to surveying, collecting, and reading words and images that constitute the memory of the study themes, an itinerary has been developed for a journey to archives and institutions related to these art cultural processes (Spain, Italy, and Mexico).