Abstract

Francois Malepart de Beaucourt (1740-1794), an artist of Parisian and French-Canadian heritage, allegedly painted Portrait of a Negro Slave in 1786. Also known as La Negresse, or The Negress, the portrait has since become one of Canada's most famous historical paintings. After two centuries, it continues to circulate within the world of Canadian art history and history. Yet problems arise with the way the painting has been/is represented and remembered. Racism, sexism and subordination shadow this image. My thesis aims to historicise Portrait of a Negro Slave and to retrieve the obscured historical memory conjured by the enigmatic poser in the image. My analysis looks at, and problemises, both contemporary and historical discourses that use the metalanguage of colonialism and imperialism to re/present the painting. What types of discriminations are being condoned and continued through these c/overt discourses? Also, what are some of the discursive meanings overlooked in the image and its context?