I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de TreviñoGratitude
Thank you to Montgomery County Public Libraries for making I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño readily available at no cost to the public.
Description
Juan was born a slave and grew up with a slave owner who treated him much like a pet. When the slave owner died, he was inherited by her relative. In his new home, he became the assistant to Diego Velázquez, the famous painter. As Velázquez’s assistant, among Juan’s new responsibilities were stretching his canvases and mixing paint colors. He waited on Velázquez and helped him with his paintings as needed, but Juan was not allowed to create any paintings of his own.
As a slave, it was illegal for Juan to paint. The more he learned and the more he watched Velázquez and the apprentices he took on, the more that Juan wanted to create his own art. He saw where the apprentices flourished and where they failed, he understood the lessons that Velázquez wanted them to learn, and he felt the passion behind creating art. What will happen when the desire to paint becomes more than Juan can bear?
As a slave, it was illegal for Juan to paint. The more he learned and the more he watched Velázquez and the apprentices he took on, the more that Juan wanted to create his own art. He saw where the apprentices flourished and where they failed, he understood the lessons that Velázquez wanted them to learn, and he felt the passion behind creating art. What will happen when the desire to paint becomes more than Juan can bear?
Would I teach this book?
I, Juan de Pareja is historical fiction, based on an actual man who was a slave to Velázquez. The story, then, is loosely based on events that actually occurred and were embellished through the imagination of Elizabeth Borton de Treviño. As this was a true story, I appreciated the intense drive to make good art. I appreciate the FOMO of having to sit backstage as others are able to preform. It was strange to me, however, to read of Juan’s complacency at being a slave. He was born into slavery, and while he was not poorly treated, the first slave owner did not treat him as a human child, instead, he was looked upon as a somewhat pampered animal. The lack of bitterness and his simple acceptance felt odd.
The book is not set in the United States, where slaves were treated violently and used for hard agricultural labor in addition to domestic work. The culture and practice of slavery in Spain at that time seems different from that in the United States. However, it felt jarring to treat slavery as though it was not a great injustice and as though it did not diminish owners in their humanity. It felt like a perpetuation of the “good slave owner.”
Slavery is addressed in the fact that it is illegal for Juan to paint and draw, but this seems a bit subordinate to some basic rights such as moving about freely. Perhaps the real de Pareja did not so much question the position that he was born into, but the conversation cannot be ignored today. If I were to teach this book, I would certainly prepare to have this discussion and help students to think through how slavery is presented in the book and how we regard human rights today.
I, Juan de Pareja does provide an interesting discussion about passions and wishing to pursue them, as well as what one might have to suffer in order to follow one’s dreams. Too often, inspirational tales are shown not as “look at what you could do” but more “look at what someone in a more difficult situation did.” As in, giving the message that those without means can still overcome their challenges and not that you must work hard to overcome your challenges. The empathy falls out of it–students often feel so removed from the situations (such as an enslaved person in seventeenth century Spain) that they do not get that they also must strive to reach their dreams, not simply dream. We must not only dream big, but we also must work to help ourselves and others to achieve their dreams.
Have you taught I, Juan de Pareja? Or, have you read I, Juan de Pareja and have thoughts about how it might be discussed? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
View all my reviews
The book is not set in the United States, where slaves were treated violently and used for hard agricultural labor in addition to domestic work. The culture and practice of slavery in Spain at that time seems different from that in the United States. However, it felt jarring to treat slavery as though it was not a great injustice and as though it did not diminish owners in their humanity. It felt like a perpetuation of the “good slave owner.”
Slavery is addressed in the fact that it is illegal for Juan to paint and draw, but this seems a bit subordinate to some basic rights such as moving about freely. Perhaps the real de Pareja did not so much question the position that he was born into, but the conversation cannot be ignored today. If I were to teach this book, I would certainly prepare to have this discussion and help students to think through how slavery is presented in the book and how we regard human rights today.
I, Juan de Pareja does provide an interesting discussion about passions and wishing to pursue them, as well as what one might have to suffer in order to follow one’s dreams. Too often, inspirational tales are shown not as “look at what you could do” but more “look at what someone in a more difficult situation did.” As in, giving the message that those without means can still overcome their challenges and not that you must work hard to overcome your challenges. The empathy falls out of it–students often feel so removed from the situations (such as an enslaved person in seventeenth century Spain) that they do not get that they also must strive to reach their dreams, not simply dream. We must not only dream big, but we also must work to help ourselves and others to achieve their dreams.
Have you taught I, Juan de Pareja? Or, have you read I, Juan de Pareja and have thoughts about how it might be discussed? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
View all my reviews
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