Bélizaire and the Figure to Come

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2178-0447.ars.2026.238512

Keywords:

Bélizaire, Genre Painting, Portrait, Invisibility, Visual Racism

Abstract

This essay examines the erasure and later restoration of Bélizaire, a young Black boy portrayed by Jacques Amans in 1837. Drawing on 19th-century artistic treatises and contemporary critical theory, it discusses the aesthetic and ideological logic of racial invisibility in Southern American genre portraiture.

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Author Biographies

  • Luiz Armando Bagolin, University of São Paulo

    Luiz Armando Bagolin é Livre Docente em História da Arte Brasileira, Doutor em Filosofia pela Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo, FFLCH/USP. Professor Associado e pesquisador do Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros da Universidade de São Paulo, IEB/USP. Pesquisador sobre Arte, Teorias da Arte e Arte Brasileira dos séculos XIX e XX. É orientador no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos Brasileiros do Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros (IEB/USP). É curador e crítico de arte contemporânea. Foi Diretor da Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, em São Paulo, entre 2013 e 2016. Reside em São Paulo, Brasil.

  • Magali Reis, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais

    Magali Reis é Doutora em Educação pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Professora Adjunta IV do Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Educação da PUC Minas. Coordena a Rede Iberoamericana de Pesquisas - Rede Emilí@ e o Núcleo de Pesquisas Sociais: Teoria Crítica da Sociedade, Cultura e Educação (DGP/CNPq). Atua principalmente nos temas: Sociologia da Educação, Estudos Sociais da Infância, Cultura, Fundamentos da Educação.

References

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Published

2026-03-26

Issue

Vol. 24 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Luiz Armando Bagolin, Magali Reis

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How to Cite

Bagolin, L. A., & Reis, M. (2026). Bélizaire and the Figure to Come. ARS, 24, e238512. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2178-0447.ars.2026.238512