Popular in Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities

Titus Quinctius Flamininus’ “Italian triumph”

McGill University Michael Fronda

Arts and Humanities

Lincoln and the Jews

Brandeis University Jonathan Sarna

Arts and Humanities

Amputations and Convalescence

University of Western Australia Emily Brink

Art

Drawing on the past: Palladio, his precursors and knowledge of ancient architecture

University of Birmingham David Hemsoll

Art

Language, Sound, and Image in Wallace Berman’s Aleph, 1956–1966

University of San Diego Chelsea Behle Fralick

Arts and Humanities

Early Modern Natural Law Theories

University of Copenhagen Knud Haakonssen

Romanticism and the German national discourse in Carl Alexander Simon

View more insights in Arts and Humanities - Art - Art History

View more figures from University of York

View the page of Miguel Gaete Caceres

Read the Study

Miguel Gaete Caceres discusses the case of German Romantic: Carl Alexander Simon and his role in establishing a German colony in southern Chile

Image courtesy of interviewee. May 8, 2024

Generating Workspace

Export as PDF

This video video discusses the complexity of romanticism, emphasizing its historical context and its broader implications, particularly in relation to colonialism and race. The speaker reflects on their research journey, which initially focused on German romantic art, particularly the works of Caspar David Friedrich, and later expanded to explore issues of colonialism and race related to romanticism in Latin America, guided by theories from Edward Said's "Orientalism" and ideas from Latin American scholars.

The speaker introduces Carl Alexander Simon, a unique figure among 19th-century romantic artists as he actively promoted colonization, specifically founding a German colony in southern Chile. Simon's work combined artistic and political elements, embodying the adventurous spirit of romanticism while pushing a narrative of German racial superiority and a return to a mythic homeland.

The speaker outlines Simon's strategies of "projection" and "occupation," which involved imbuing colonial landscapes with nationalistic symbolism and physically establishing German settlements. They argue that romantic artists like Simon played a pivotal role in reinforcing colonial structures rather than merely depicting exotic sites, showcasing the darker aspects of romanticism.

The discussion underlines that romanticism's influence extends beyond its traditional associations with love and nature, highlighting its connections to contemporary issues, including ongoing territorial struggles in Latin America. The speaker emphasizes the need for further research on German settlements in South America and the lasting impacts of romantic ideals on colonial legacies. This video video concludes with a mention of the speaker's upcoming book on Simon, aiming to expand the understanding of romanticism's geographical and temporal frameworks.

Language:

Export as PDF

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.325 --> 00:03.005
Romanticism is a, is a quite complicated period.

00:03.325 --> 00:05.645
I mean, because it's, it's quite recently,

00:05.795 --> 00:08.485
when you think about terms in terms of time,

00:09.345 --> 00:11.725
and I became engaged in the study

00:11.725 --> 00:15.125
of romanticism many years ago, basically through the,

00:15.345 --> 00:19.325
the most well known paintings in German romantic art,

00:19.325 --> 00:23.365
particularly the German baker, Casper.

00:24.985 --> 00:27.565
And then, as I was investigating the topic,

00:28.005 --> 00:31.925
I became more increasingly more engaged in, in issues

00:31.945 --> 00:35.005
of colonialism and race in relation to romanticism.

00:35.825 --> 00:39.885
My work, well, my research on romanticism

00:40.605 --> 00:43.285
explores its expansion beyond Europe

00:43.675 --> 00:46.085
with a specific focus on Latin America

00:46.425 --> 00:50.605
and a critical standpoint regard issues of race, class,

00:50.705 --> 00:52.325
gender, and colonialism.

00:53.265 --> 00:56.325
Uh, well, for, for a very long time, romanticism

00:56.425 --> 00:59.445
of the study of romanticism has been restricted

00:59.445 --> 01:03.525
to a very specific period between, between 1750

01:03.705 --> 01:04.725
and 1850,

01:05.465 --> 01:09.845
and mostly, addressed to study the arts

01:10.025 --> 01:11.885
of Western Europe in that period.

01:12.625 --> 01:17.045
But my work, in a way, tries to expand, to extend, you know,

01:17.045 --> 01:19.965
like that kind of historical,

01:20.285 --> 01:21.605
geographical frameworks.

01:22.345 --> 01:24.805
Uh, one of the authors, for example,

01:24.865 --> 01:28.205
who played a significant role in shaping the

01:28.885 --> 01:31.925
critical term in cultural studies is Edward Edward said,

01:31.945 --> 01:36.005
and my work, relies a lot on,

01:36.065 --> 01:38.285
on his previous, scholarship.

01:38.705 --> 01:41.885
For example, his seminal book Orientalism,

01:42.215 --> 01:45.845
which was first published in in the 1970s,

01:46.545 --> 01:49.685
had a profound impact on post-colonial studies

01:49.945 --> 01:52.725
and certainly on my own, work.

01:53.545 --> 01:57.165
And in this book, for example, say it critiques,

01:57.195 --> 02:01.645
Western scholarship on the Middle East, arguing,

02:01.795 --> 02:04.565
that it perpetuates in a way stereotypes

02:04.625 --> 02:06.965
and biases about the region and its people.

02:07.985 --> 02:12.045
Uh, one of the main arguments, his main arguments is

02:12.045 --> 02:14.045
that, western representations

02:14.065 --> 02:17.005
of the orient are not just descriptive,

02:17.545 --> 02:21.365
but also serve to justify colonial domination

02:21.365 --> 02:22.725
and imperialist policies.

02:23.185 --> 02:26.445
So in my work, I draw on many of sites ideas as well

02:26.445 --> 02:31.365
as those by Latin American scholars like, Walter Olo

02:31.385 --> 02:33.965
and Nebel Keano and Katherine Walsh.

02:34.745 --> 02:35.885
Uh, curiously,

02:36.125 --> 02:40.485
although none of these authors address romanticism directly,

02:41.125 --> 02:43.565
I use many of their ideas

02:43.745 --> 02:47.005
and allegations to actually challenge the current

02:47.075 --> 02:50.565
understanding of the European romantic construction

02:50.565 --> 02:53.165
of Latinate America from the 19th century,

02:53.465 --> 02:54.565
to the present.

02:55.185 --> 02:58.685
As I was investigating the links between romanticism and

02:58.845 --> 03:01.685
Colonist in Latin America, I came across,

03:01.715 --> 03:03.205
Carl Alexander Simonon.

03:03.825 --> 03:06.885
And Simonon is quite a peculiar character

03:06.885 --> 03:08.925
because he stands out

03:09.065 --> 03:11.925
as a unique character in the scene

03:11.925 --> 03:14.285
of romantic artists in 19th century Europe.

03:15.185 --> 03:18.725
As far as I know, indeed, he might be the only known

03:19.405 --> 03:20.565
European romantic artist

03:20.865 --> 03:25.045
who actually got involved in a colonizing enterprise.

03:26.065 --> 03:28.845
Uh, although, for example, there were many artists

03:29.225 --> 03:31.965
who documented, for example, the occupation processes

03:31.985 --> 03:34.365
of European settlers, abroad.

03:35.115 --> 03:38.285
Simonon was actually a promoter of colonization

03:38.425 --> 03:42.045
and one of the founding fathers of the German colony

03:42.115 --> 03:44.845
that was established in, in southern Chile,

03:44.905 --> 03:46.325
the mid, 19th century.

03:47.625 --> 03:49.965
So I will tell you a little bit about, about him

03:49.965 --> 03:53.125
because, like I said, Simon's case is rather unique for,

03:53.425 --> 03:54.845
in a way, it debunks.

03:54.985 --> 03:58.885
He debunks the myth of romantic traveler artists as Mayor

03:59.525 --> 04:03.925
I witnesses, who through their art showed exotic people

04:03.985 --> 04:06.925
and places to enlighten audiences in Europe.

04:06.955 --> 04:08.445
That is the common conception

04:08.445 --> 04:10.405
of the romantic artists overseas.

04:11.385 --> 04:14.445
So, Simon, well, he was a German artist.

04:14.625 --> 04:17.565
He was also a writer and a politician.

04:17.625 --> 04:21.365
At some point, he was born in Frankfurt In 1805,

04:22.105 --> 04:25.805
he studied a painting of the art academies of,

04:25.865 --> 04:27.005
Munich and Berlin.

04:27.065 --> 04:29.765
So he was a fully trained romantic artist.

04:30.745 --> 04:33.965
And to me, he was the true embodiment

04:34.025 --> 04:35.245
of the romantic artist.

04:35.445 --> 04:36.965
I mean, he was adventurous

04:37.225 --> 04:40.685
and advocate of anti academicism.

04:41.065 --> 04:42.365
He was a free thinker,

04:42.905 --> 04:45.965
and he possessed actually great intellectual abilities.

04:46.945 --> 04:51.645
Uh, at some point, in his life, he became

04:52.235 --> 04:56.205
politically engaged, embracing utopian socialism,

04:56.455 --> 04:59.525
which was an ideology, a kind of new way of thinking

04:59.835 --> 05:01.245
that was gaining,

05:01.775 --> 05:04.205
importance in Europe in the mid 19th century.

05:05.105 --> 05:09.165
Um, and he fight in a way, the ruling monarch in Germany,

05:09.505 --> 05:14.125
and took part in several protests in the very turbulent

05:14.435 --> 05:18.325
political climate in Germany, in the mid 19th century.

05:19.265 --> 05:21.645
So, due to his political ideas,

05:21.785 --> 05:23.925
he was basically a proto anarchist.

05:24.465 --> 05:28.605
Um, he was excited to France where he

05:29.125 --> 05:33.205
conceived the idea of creating a new world, a new Germany

05:34.065 --> 05:36.765
in southern Chile, not in Europe anymore, of course.

05:37.505 --> 05:42.005
So following this, aim, he wrote a colonization

05:42.755 --> 05:46.285
guidebook, with a, with a very long title.

05:46.465 --> 05:47.725
The title is Immigration

05:48.065 --> 05:51.125
and German Na, national Colonization of South America,

05:51.595 --> 05:54.285
with a special attention to the free state of Chile.

05:54.285 --> 05:55.845
Obviously, the title was in Germany.

05:55.845 --> 05:58.205
It's a very long title for a book,

05:58.305 --> 05:59.885
so probably not very commercial.

06:00.705 --> 06:04.245
Uh, and this book was published in 1848

06:04.425 --> 06:07.085
and a second edition in 1850, just

06:07.085 --> 06:11.165
before he traveled to Chile to, to colonize the, the,

06:11.305 --> 06:12.445
the south of the country.

06:13.185 --> 06:16.885
So in this book, he provides

06:17.715 --> 06:21.245
very clear guidance about the occupation of Chile

06:21.265 --> 06:23.765
and ultimately the entirety of South America.

06:23.795 --> 06:26.205
That was his plan to start in Chile,

06:26.205 --> 06:28.805
and then to ex ex extend the colony

06:28.805 --> 06:29.925
to the rest of the continent.

06:30.705 --> 06:32.285
And his,

06:33.405 --> 06:36.845
endeavor was clearly based on racial premises

06:36.945 --> 06:40.365
and this very romantic notion of a return

06:40.865 --> 06:44.685
to an alleged primeval German original land

06:45.325 --> 06:46.765
situated in southern Chile.

06:47.425 --> 06:52.165
Um, so in his work, Simon basically claims,

06:52.675 --> 06:56.685
that the pristine forests of the south of of Chile were,

06:56.745 --> 07:00.445
in a way, in a way, predestined to be occupied

07:00.665 --> 07:04.565
by a superior race of people, namely the Germans.

07:05.345 --> 07:09.165
Um, in the process, Simonon also, I mean,

07:09.165 --> 07:12.125
he proclaims himself as the leader of the time

07:12.745 --> 07:14.245
and the prophet of freedom.

07:14.505 --> 07:15.925
So we can clearly see

07:15.925 --> 07:18.565
that he was a mega megalomaniac in a way.

07:19.385 --> 07:22.605
Um, so I mean, he was a romantic artist.

07:22.825 --> 07:26.125
So to accomplish his purpose of colonizing this place,

07:26.465 --> 07:29.805
he do on romantic tenets of nature

07:30.265 --> 07:32.285
and landscape to,

07:32.675 --> 07:36.645
elaborate a very complex narrative that involved ideas

07:36.745 --> 07:40.325
of origin, a cult of the German forest,

07:40.775 --> 07:43.525
which was very present in, in German romantic art,

07:44.065 --> 07:45.765
the glorification of the past,

07:46.345 --> 07:48.685
and of course, a strong conviction

07:48.765 --> 07:50.485
of the German people's racial

07:51.005 --> 07:53.605
superiority over the other peoples of the world.

07:54.425 --> 07:58.965
So, upon analyzing his work, I have concluded basically

07:58.965 --> 08:03.005
that he devised two concatenated strategies in his,

08:03.075 --> 08:05.605
project, which I denominate

08:05.825 --> 08:07.485
as projection and occupation.

08:07.545 --> 08:09.685
If you want, we can talk a bit about that.

08:10.075 --> 08:12.005
Yeah, the, I think the, I mean, his

08:12.565 --> 08:14.845
strategy was very well elaborated,

08:15.225 --> 08:19.485
and I think, I mean, as I consider it, I think

08:19.485 --> 08:23.965
that he thought the idea of, occupation, I mean that,

08:24.085 --> 08:27.045
I mean, projection was the first part of his strategy,

08:27.465 --> 08:32.005
and it consisted of the systematic projection of symbols

08:32.115 --> 08:36.405
with nationalistic intentions onto the occupied territory.

08:36.865 --> 08:40.765
So one of some, one example of this iSims employment

08:40.785 --> 08:43.565
of the oak tree, which,

08:43.815 --> 08:45.965
grows abundantly in southern Chile.

08:46.385 --> 08:48.525
Uh, and he used this symbol

08:48.825 --> 08:52.525
to build a German nationalistic narrative Ibu,

08:52.635 --> 08:54.325
with racial undertones.

08:55.105 --> 08:56.365
And this is, this is crucial

08:56.365 --> 09:00.765
because to Germans, the oak tree symbolizes,

09:00.925 --> 09:03.885
German's courage, power, strength.

09:04.065 --> 09:07.245
So it's a very powerful symbol for the German culture,

09:07.825 --> 09:12.405
and Simon do on this element to revive a mysticism

09:12.585 --> 09:17.285
of nature and a fascination for the past,

09:17.355 --> 09:21.005
that, that was deeply rooted in German romanticism.

09:21.985 --> 09:24.645
And the second part of his strategy, I mean,

09:24.645 --> 09:27.405
after he created this symbology

09:27.405 --> 09:31.365
and this narrative, full of symbols,

09:32.145 --> 09:36.205
the second strategy pertains to the physical occupation

09:36.225 --> 09:39.405
and the practicalities of inhabiting that territory

09:39.425 --> 09:42.605
for which, Germans claimed ownership.

09:43.465 --> 09:47.325
Um, so drawings chronically in the equalization

09:47.325 --> 09:50.805
of the forest and the fmy of the landscape,

09:51.145 --> 09:54.845
it been in a way, this strategy which worked in tandem

09:54.845 --> 09:57.205
with the projection of a German paradise,

09:57.225 --> 09:59.085
of this German original world.

09:59.465 --> 10:03.965
So Sima, for example, you, huge amount

10:03.985 --> 10:07.405
of drawings with, in which you can tell that there is a kind

10:07.405 --> 10:11.245
of scientific, you know, like mindset behind them, you know,

10:11.245 --> 10:13.885
like this topographical views of mountain

10:14.265 --> 10:16.405
and lakes, very objective.

10:16.855 --> 10:20.295
While on the other hand, he also do this, you know,

10:20.295 --> 10:23.535
like landscapes, loaded with symbols

10:23.535 --> 10:25.135
of the German paradise.

10:25.195 --> 10:28.855
So that is the way in which these two strategies,

10:28.855 --> 10:31.335
projection and occupation, work together.

10:31.895 --> 10:36.855
I think that the scholarship scholarship thus far has mostly

10:36.925 --> 10:40.535
addressed European romanticism in the European context.

10:41.035 --> 10:44.615
And one of the points that, that I defend is the idea that

10:45.375 --> 10:49.415
European cannot be defined solely in terms of

10:50.295 --> 10:51.895
cultural or geographical terms.

10:52.685 --> 10:55.815
Instead, I think European is a mindset,

10:56.235 --> 10:59.935
and as such, it carries a series of fixations,

11:00.345 --> 11:01.375
obsec obsessions

11:01.395 --> 11:05.735
and anxieties that were systematically disseminated

11:05.875 --> 11:09.575
and shaped by artists operating overseas.

11:10.595 --> 11:14.895
So, I do believe that dramatic artists played,

11:15.315 --> 11:18.935
played a fundamental active role in strengthening

11:18.935 --> 11:21.175
and reinforcing colonial structures.

11:21.595 --> 11:25.575
And they were not merely like eye witnesses

11:25.635 --> 11:27.535
who depicted what they were seeing.

11:27.535 --> 11:30.015
They were creating a colonial structure

11:30.675 --> 11:32.655
by representing these places,

11:33.475 --> 11:36.855
and their importance was much more substantial

11:37.125 --> 11:38.735
than previously assumed.

11:39.235 --> 11:42.095
And I think that Carl Alexander Seaman is,

11:42.235 --> 11:44.335
is delivering proof of this,

11:44.335 --> 11:46.095
because he basically,

11:46.395 --> 11:50.975
he brought all his romantic ideas from Europe to,

11:50.985 --> 11:53.015
Latin America to project

11:53.385 --> 11:55.325
And to create this colony.

11:55.585 --> 11:57.765
So this is a romantic form

11:57.785 --> 12:00.725
of colonization based on romantic ideas.

12:01.345 --> 12:04.525
So that, like I said, that demonstrates that romanticism,

12:04.555 --> 12:07.525
because for most people, romanticism, even today,

12:07.625 --> 12:12.605
is mostly associated with lofty ideas of love, nature,

12:13.365 --> 12:15.005
landscapes and spiritual connections

12:15.005 --> 12:16.605
with the surroundings and so on.

12:17.235 --> 12:21.325
Nonetheless, romanticism also had a darker sight,

12:21.345 --> 12:24.325
and that is what is represented by Siemen in South America.

12:24.515 --> 12:25.805
Well, I think, well,

12:25.875 --> 12:28.485
this investigation about Carl Alexander Seman

12:28.485 --> 12:30.805
and the German colony,

12:31.085 --> 12:34.605
I think it opens new avenues of exploration

12:34.605 --> 12:38.525
of the romantic movement, particularly in terms of,

12:38.825 --> 12:42.165
its implications for pressing contemporary issues.

12:42.465 --> 12:44.565
And that is a point that I always highlight

12:44.565 --> 12:46.845
because, romanticism,

12:46.995 --> 12:49.405
even though romanticism mostly developed

12:49.695 --> 12:52.845
until the first half of the 19th century,

12:53.345 --> 12:56.085
its consequences are still very alive.

12:56.685 --> 12:59.605
Probably not in Europe. We don't see this here,

12:59.785 --> 13:01.045
but when you go overseas

13:01.065 --> 13:03.805
and you, try to pay attention, you know, like

13:03.805 --> 13:07.005
to the consequences of this romantic artists traveling

13:07.285 --> 13:11.165
overseas, you can notice, that these consequences are,

13:11.225 --> 13:13.325
are, they're very present in effect.

13:13.425 --> 13:17.085
For example, many of the subjects that were of interest

13:17.305 --> 13:20.765
to the romantics still are for us,

13:21.345 --> 13:24.045
the strain relate the strain, relationship

13:24.045 --> 13:28.725
between modernity and nature that began in the romantic era

13:29.025 --> 13:32.405
and is now the central to echo criticism, for example,

13:32.785 --> 13:35.685
and the, the art and the art scene and so on.

13:35.685 --> 13:36.965
It's a, so, I mean, many

13:37.105 --> 13:40.525
of these concerns about nature began in the romantic era.

13:41.665 --> 13:45.125
Um, likewise, for example, ongoing ethnic

13:45.225 --> 13:50.165
and territorial struggles, can be traced back

13:50.225 --> 13:51.245
to the 19th century.

13:51.665 --> 13:53.765
And one example of this in relation

13:53.765 --> 13:57.165
to my investigation on call Alexander Simonon is a so-called

13:57.905 --> 14:00.685
Maputo Conflict in Solving Chile, which

14:01.245 --> 14:04.285
involved a very important indigenous community, one of the,

14:04.465 --> 14:07.845
the largest indigenous communities in Latin America,

14:08.415 --> 14:12.165
whose territory was occupied by,

14:12.185 --> 14:15.165
German colonizers in the 19th century, led

14:15.185 --> 14:16.565
by Carl Alexander Simonon.

14:16.705 --> 14:20.085
So there we, we can see a direct implication

14:20.085 --> 14:23.445
of romantic ideals operating in colonial settings

14:23.555 --> 14:24.605
even today.

14:25.585 --> 14:30.165
Uh, so regarding, new research possibilities,

14:30.505 --> 14:34.445
my upcoming projects, for example, focuses on exploring,

14:34.845 --> 14:35.965
romantic, romantic roots

14:35.985 --> 14:39.085
of several German settlements across South America

14:39.635 --> 14:42.125
from the 19th century until today.

14:42.665 --> 14:45.965
So, currently, for example, I'm working on a specific topic,

14:46.705 --> 14:50.765
that deals with how romantic ideals

14:51.655 --> 14:55.845
Wrote colonial deida in the 1960s,

14:56.215 --> 15:01.045
which was a, a a, a German kind of enclave, also in,

15:01.045 --> 15:02.125
in southern Chile.

15:02.465 --> 15:04.685
Um, that, that is very connected

15:04.685 --> 15:07.045
to the first colonizers in the 19th century.

15:07.545 --> 15:11.205
So this is a connection that remains largely unexplored,

15:11.345 --> 15:15.765
and I aim to, to cover, to cover those e expand,

15:15.795 --> 15:17.845
extending the conventional temporal

15:17.865 --> 15:20.805
and geographical framework of romanticism studies.

15:21.555 --> 15:22.805
Yeah, I'm working on my,

15:22.825 --> 15:25.485
my second book is on Carl Alexander Seaman

15:25.585 --> 15:28.605
and his, work in South Chile.

15:28.705 --> 15:31.805
And that is, well, that is,

15:32.075 --> 15:35.165
that should be out this year at some point.

00:00 - Romanticism is a, is a quite complicated period. I mean, because it's, it's quite recently, when you think about terms in terms of time, and I became engaged in the study of romanticism many years ago, basically through the, the most well known paintings in German romantic art,

00:19 - particularly the German baker, Casper. And then, as I was investigating the topic, I became more increasingly more engaged in, in issues of colonialism and race in relation to romanticism. My work, well, my research on romanticism explores its expansion beyond Europe with a specific focus on Latin America and a critical standpoint regard issues of race, class, gender, and colonialism. well, for, for a very long time, romanticism

00:56 - of the study of romanticism has been restricted to a very specific period between, between 1750 and 1850, and mostly, addressed to study the arts of Western Europe in that period. But my work, in a way, tries to expand, to extend, you know, like that kind of historical, geographical frameworks. one of the authors, for example, who played a significant role in shaping the

01:28 - critical term in cultural studies is Edward Edward said, and my work, relies a lot on, on his previous, scholarship. For example, his seminal book Orientalism, which was first published in in the 1970s, had a profound impact on post-colonial studies and certainly on my own, work. And in this book, for example, say it critiques, Western scholarship on the Middle East, arguing, that it perpetuates in a way stereotypes

02:04 - and biases about the region and its people. one of the main arguments, his main arguments is that, western representations of the orient are not just descriptive, but also serve to justify colonial domination and imperialist policies. So in my work, I draw on many of sites ideas as well as those by Latin American scholars like, Walter Olo and Nebel Keano and Katherine Walsh. curiously,

02:36 - although none of these authors address romanticism directly, I use many of their ideas and allegations to actually challenge the current understanding of the European romantic construction of Latinate America from the 19th century, to the present. As I was investigating the links between romanticism and Colonist in Latin America, I came across, Carl Alexander Simonon. And Simonon is quite a peculiar character

03:06 - because he stands out as a unique character in the scene of romantic artists in 19th century Europe. As far as I know, indeed, he might be the only known European romantic artist who actually got involved in a colonizing enterprise. although, for example, there were many artists who documented, for example, the occupation processes of European settlers, abroad. Simonon was actually a promoter of colonization

03:38 - and one of the founding fathers of the German colony that was established in, in southern Chile, the mid, 19th century. So I will tell you a little bit about, about him because, like I said, Simon's case is rather unique for, in a way, it debunks. He debunks the myth of romantic traveler artists as Mayor I witnesses, who through their art showed exotic people and places to enlighten audiences in Europe. That is the common conception

04:08 - of the romantic artists overseas. So, Simon, well, he was a German artist. He was also a writer and a politician. At some point, he was born in Frankfurt In 1805, he studied a painting of the art academies of, Munich and Berlin. So he was a fully trained romantic artist. And to me, he was the true embodiment of the romantic artist. I mean, he was adventurous

04:37 - and advocate of anti academicism. He was a free thinker, and he possessed actually great intellectual abilities. at some point, in his life, he became politically engaged, embracing utopian socialism, which was an ideology, a kind of new way of thinking that was gaining, importance in Europe in the mid 19th century. and he fight in a way, the ruling monarch in Germany, and took part in several protests in the very turbulent

05:14 - political climate in Germany, in the mid 19th century. So, due to his political ideas, he was basically a proto anarchist. he was excited to France where he conceived the idea of creating a new world, a new Germany in southern Chile, not in Europe anymore, of course. So following this, aim, he wrote a colonization guidebook, with a, with a very long title. The title is Immigration and German Na, national Colonization of South America,

05:51 - with a special attention to the free state of Chile. Obviously, the title was in Germany. It's a very long title for a book, so probably not very commercial. and this book was published in 1848 and a second edition in 1850, just before he traveled to Chile to, to colonize the, the, the south of the country. So in this book, he provides very clear guidance about the occupation of Chile

06:21 - and ultimately the entirety of South America. That was his plan to start in Chile, and then to ex ex extend the colony to the rest of the continent. And his, endeavor was clearly based on racial premises and this very romantic notion of a return to an alleged primeval German original land situated in southern Chile. so in his work, Simon basically claims,

06:52 - that the pristine forests of the south of of Chile were, in a way, in a way, predestined to be occupied by a superior race of people, namely the Germans. in the process, Simonon also, I mean, he proclaims himself as the leader of the time and the prophet of freedom. So we can clearly see that he was a mega megalomaniac in a way. so I mean, he was a romantic artist. So to accomplish his purpose of colonizing this place,

07:26 - he do on romantic tenets of nature and landscape to, elaborate a very complex narrative that involved ideas of origin, a cult of the German forest, which was very present in, in German romantic art, the glorification of the past, and of course, a strong conviction of the German people's racial superiority over the other peoples of the world. So, upon analyzing his work, I have concluded basically

07:58 - that he devised two concatenated strategies in his, project, which I denominate as projection and occupation. If you want, we can talk a bit about that. Yeah, the, I think the, I mean, his strategy was very well elaborated, and I think, I mean, as I consider it, I think that he thought the idea of, occupation, I mean that, I mean, projection was the first part of his strategy, and it consisted of the systematic projection of symbols

08:32 - with nationalistic intentions onto the occupied territory. So one of some, one example of this iSims employment of the oak tree, which, grows abundantly in southern Chile. and he used this symbol to build a German nationalistic narrative Ibu, with racial undertones. And this is, this is crucial because to Germans, the oak tree symbolizes, German's courage, power, strength.

09:04 - So it's a very powerful symbol for the German culture, and Simon do on this element to revive a mysticism of nature and a fascination for the past, that, that was deeply rooted in German romanticism. And the second part of his strategy, I mean, after he created this symbology and this narrative, full of symbols, the second strategy pertains to the physical occupation and the practicalities of inhabiting that territory for which, Germans claimed ownership.

09:43 - so drawings chronically in the equalization of the forest and the fmy of the landscape, it been in a way, this strategy which worked in tandem with the projection of a German paradise, of this German original world. So Sima, for example, you, huge amount of drawings with, in which you can tell that there is a kind of scientific, you know, like mindset behind them, you know, like this topographical views of mountain and lakes, very objective.

10:16 - While on the other hand, he also do this, you know, like landscapes, loaded with symbols of the German paradise. So that is the way in which these two strategies, projection and occupation, work together. I think that the scholarship scholarship thus far has mostly addressed European romanticism in the European context. And one of the points that, that I defend is the idea that European cannot be defined solely in terms of cultural or geographical terms.

10:52 - Instead, I think European is a mindset, and as such, it carries a series of fixations, obsec obsessions and anxieties that were systematically disseminated and shaped by artists operating overseas. So, I do believe that dramatic artists played, played a fundamental active role in strengthening and reinforcing colonial structures. And they were not merely like eye witnesses who depicted what they were seeing.

11:27 - They were creating a colonial structure by representing these places, and their importance was much more substantial than previously assumed. And I think that Carl Alexander Seaman is, is delivering proof of this, because he basically, he brought all his romantic ideas from Europe to, Latin America to project And to create this colony.

11:55 - So this is a romantic form of colonization based on romantic ideas. So that, like I said, that demonstrates that romanticism, because for most people, romanticism, even today, is mostly associated with lofty ideas of love, nature, landscapes and spiritual connections with the surroundings and so on. Nonetheless, romanticism also had a darker sight, and that is what is represented by Siemen in South America. Well, I think, well,

12:25 - this investigation about Carl Alexander Seman and the German colony, I think it opens new avenues of exploration of the romantic movement, particularly in terms of, its implications for pressing contemporary issues. And that is a point that I always highlight because, romanticism, even though romanticism mostly developed until the first half of the 19th century, its consequences are still very alive.

12:56 - Probably not in Europe. We don't see this here, but when you go overseas and you, try to pay attention, you know, like to the consequences of this romantic artists traveling overseas, you can notice, that these consequences are, are, they're very present in effect. For example, many of the subjects that were of interest to the romantics still are for us, the strain relate the strain, relationship between modernity and nature that began in the romantic era

13:29 - and is now the central to echo criticism, for example, and the, the art and the art scene and so on. It's a, so, I mean, many of these concerns about nature began in the romantic era. likewise, for example, ongoing ethnic and territorial struggles, can be traced back to the 19th century. And one example of this in relation to my investigation on call Alexander Simonon is a so-called Maputo Conflict in Solving Chile, which

14:01 - involved a very important indigenous community, one of the, the largest indigenous communities in Latin America, whose territory was occupied by, German colonizers in the 19th century, led by Carl Alexander Simonon. So there we, we can see a direct implication of romantic ideals operating in colonial settings even today. so regarding, new research possibilities, my upcoming projects, for example, focuses on exploring,

14:34 - romantic, romantic roots of several German settlements across South America from the 19th century until today. So, currently, for example, I'm working on a specific topic, that deals with how romantic ideals Wrote colonial deida in the 1960s, which was a, a a, a German kind of enclave, also in, in southern Chile. that, that is very connected to the first colonizers in the 19th century.

15:07 - So this is a connection that remains largely unexplored, and I aim to, to cover, to cover those e expand, extending the conventional temporal and geographical framework of romanticism studies. Yeah, I'm working on my, my second book is on Carl Alexander Seaman and his, work in South Chile. And that is, well, that is, that should be out this year at some point.

Faculti AI can make mistakes