José Antonio Páez: A Portrait’s Portrayal of Venezuela’s Caudillo

After the Latin American wars for independence at the beginning of the nineteenth century, newly sovereign states were tasked with governing themselves. In many places, the Creoles and elites attempted to put together constitutions and elections. A shaky commitment to liberalism, the persistence of the colonial caste system, and other social continuities meant liberal democracy did not have the right soil to take root properly. Brandishing war stories and charisma as claims to as authority, caudillos stepped up to instill order and rule at regional and state levels. In Venezuela, the caudillo who stepped up was charming and imposing figure José Antonio Páez.

Páez is immortalized in this portrait by Epifanio Julián Garay Caicedo, completed in 1874. As a mestizo caudillo, Páez mobilized the ranching cowboys called llaneros on the plains by the Orinoco river as well as a team of regional caudillos to help gain and maintain power. From there he was able to become Venezula’s first president, though his coercive tactics removed much of democratic nature of the elections. Historian John Charles Chasteen highlights how Páez, in his autobiography, likened himself to a feudal king. This is shown in the very European style of portraiture. Páez is bedecked in military garb and dominates the canvas, a bright figure against a dark background. Interestingly, the brightest part of the portrait is his skin, which, considering he was neither Creole nor Peninsular, seems like an intentional detail on the part of the artist. The portrait in this way shows how “whiteness” was likened to “power” in the postcolonial era.  

Works Cited

Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire. 4th edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 2016

“José Antonio Páez – Epifanio Julián Garay Caicedo – Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/asset/jos%C3%A9-antonio-p%C3%A1ez-epifanio-juli%C3%A1n-garay-caicedo/RgFwmr8Y8POA0w.

“José Antonio Páez.” Oxford Reference. . . Date of access 4 Feb. 2021, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100300771