Cortes and Pizarro c. 19th century

Curator: This is Edward Goodall’s "Cortes and Pizarro," currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like peering into a memory, a half-forgotten dream. It’s somber, almost ghostly. Curator: Goodall’s focus on Cortes and Pizarro opens a dialogue about colonialism and the legacies of exploitation. The setting likely signifies the imposition of European culture and religion on indigenous populations. Editor: I see that, definitely. But there’s something about the small figures dwarfed by the architecture that speaks to me of individual ambition swallowed up by history itself. Curator: Yes, the architectural grandeur could symbolize the Church's role in legitimizing colonial power, and the individuals a more nuanced interpretation of the two figures. Editor: I hadn’t thought of that. It does add a new layer to it. Curator: By looking at it this way, we can understand the history while feeling the emotional weight of its consequences. Editor: Exactly. And, sometimes, that's all we can ask from art: to consider the complex past.