Birth of the Americas Painting
The painting “Birth of the Americas” (1946) by the Cuban artist Mario Carreno at the art museum of the American collection in DC is one of the most beautiful allegorical paintings of the Americas I have come across. The indigenous American woman is holding the bounty of the land in her hand and over her head, while the European blond woman and the Asian/African woman are tenderly holding her other hand. Love and friendship ooze over in their postures and gestures.
Normally, the perspective on the Americas is Eurocentric and it is viewed as the new world. The title of the painting is somewhat of a giveaway in that sense. But perhaps, the title reference is not to the new world per se, but to the new and unique nature of different people coming together to form close bonds not to be found anywhere else in the world. That is a cause to be celebrated.
