Four Continents n.d.

Gerard de Lairesse made this drawing called ‘Four Continents’ with pen and brown ink, in the latter half of the 17th century. During the Baroque era, it was common to allegorize continents as female figures, embodying prevailing European views of cultural identity. Note how the artist differentiates the figures through various attributes. Asia, adorned with jewels, and Africa, accompanied by a lion, are rendered as exotic and bountiful, while Europe holds a lantern, symbolizing enlightenment. In contrast, America, with her bow and arrow, is portrayed as the 'new world', ripe for exploration. These representations reflect the power dynamics of the time, with Europe positioning itself as the center of the world and using stereotypical imagery to establish its dominance. In whose eyes were these images made, and what stories do they tell us about the unequal gaze of the colonizer? The drawing serves as a potent reminder of how cultural narratives can be constructed to support specific ideologies. It invites us to critically examine the historical context in which it was produced and to consider the emotional and personal implications of such representations.