Who Are the Indians?: Hans Larwin and the Visualization of the Roma and Native Americans in Interwar Austrian Popular Art and Visual Culture
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Citation | |
| Description | This chapter examines the visual representation of marginalized communities in central Europe, particularly the Roma, alongside Native Americans in the works of Viennese artist Hans Larwin (1873–1938). His art highlights the role of popular practices in reinforcing a colonial gaze on non-white communities. Larwin’s images illustrate how artist explorers saw themselves as insiders within these communities to gain market advantage. However, he depicts both Roma and Native Americans through similar lenses, blurring the line between fascination for the exotic near and far. Both groups are portrayed within stereotypes of noble savages, merging high culture, popular culture, and adventure narratives. Ultimately, the chapter contends that these visual stereotypes preserved a continuous colonial gaze across time and continents. |
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