Seen Things: The Everyday in Modern Painting

The exhibition Seen Things: 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 significant transformative changes in Western painting during the second half of the 19th century. After centuries in which artists were constrained by the tastes and stylistic restrictions of art academies, many turned their attention to new themes and pictorial techniques. They began to depict contemporary life, the reality around them, and a renewed social concern that influenced the liberal arts.

This phenomenon emerged in both Europe and the Americas, as evident in the selection of works from the Museo de Arte de Ponce’s collection featured in this exhibition. The displayed paintings focus on scenes of everyday life, with figures represented without an intent to idealize. This inclination towards the quotidian is particularly notable in Puerto Rican painting of the early 20th century. The desire to preserve local identity fostered the depiction of regional types in Puerto Rican art, emphasizing the values and essence of Puerto Rican identity.

The exhibition is open to the public at the Church’s Gallery of the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, in Santurce.