Galileo Demonstrating the New Astronomical Theories at the University of Padua

Félix Parra was a student at the National Fine Arts School from 1864 to 1878, in the latter year being awarded a scholarship, based on his proven artistic talents, in order to finish his studies in Europe. He studied under Santiago Rebull and José Salomé Pina and some of his works reflect the influence of the latter personages, while also being representative of their times, in terms both of their figurative and colorist qualities and of their adherence to the ideological line followed by Mexican art just after the restoration of the Republic in 1867.The two paintings whose titles appear in this Guide reflect the artistic leanings of their time as encouraged by the staff and students of the Academy. The painting entitled Galileo Demonstrating his New Astronomical Theories at the University of Padua takes as its topic the debate between traditional religion on the one hand and modern, lay scientific thought on the other, depicting the astronomer, Galileo, explaining his theories about the structure and workings of the cosmos -which contravene the traditional Aristotelian assertion that the Earth is the center of the Universe— to a friar. The topics tackled in the other work, entitled Fray Bartolomé de las Casas and featuring the celebrated missionary of the same name, are Mexicos pre-Hispanic past as the source of its modern identity, and the bloody episodes from the Conquest that gave rise to both biological and cultural mingling. Galileo at the University of Padua was shown at the XVI th Exhibition of the National Fine Arts School in 1873. The two personages are depicted in a library, with Galileo using a compass and a globe to explain his theories to the friar. Given the anticlerical atmosphere that prevailed during the period of office of President Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, one likely interpretation of the work is that ''religion should give way to science”. A couple of years later, the painting featuring the famous Dominican monk who sought to defend the Indians against the cruelty and intolerance of the conquerors was shown at the XVII th Academy´s Exhibition in 1875. It is clear from the positioning, posture and demeanor of De las Casas, who is indubitably the main element in the composition, that he is beseeching God to forgive the violent acts of the conquerors. At his feet is a native who has been sacrificed in honor of his deities, next to whom kneels a woman who is grieving bitterly over her dead companion. In order to make the scene more realistic and faithful to historical sources, the painter has located it in front of a pre-Hispanic temple adorned with a statue of one of the natives´ gods. Both of these works entered the MUNAL, as a part of its founding endowment, in 1982