<sod>Until the mid eighteenth century, the subject of most paintings was religious in some form or other, so that the historiography of colonial visual culture is weighted toward religion.  Publication on colonial art has a long tradition, especially in Mexico.<ref>Manuel Toussaint, ''Arte colonial en México''.  Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, 1948. 5th edition 1990.</ref> In recent years there has been a boom in publications on colonial art, with some useful overviews published.<ref>Marcus Burke, ''Treasures of Mexican Colonial Painting''. Davenport IA: The Davenport Museum of Art 1998.</ref><ref>Richard Kagan, ''Urban Images of the Hispanic World, 1493-1793''. New Haven: Yale University Press 2000.</ref><ref>Gauvin Alexander Bailey, ''Art of Colonial Latin America''. London: Phaidon 2005</ref><ref>Kelly Donahue-Wallace, ''Art and Architecture of Viceregal Latin America, 1521-1821''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 2008. The work deals exclusively with Spanish America.</ref><ref>Emily Umberger and Tom Cummins, eds. ''Native Artists and Patrons in Colonial Spanish America''. ''Phoebus: A Journal of Art History''. Phoenix: Arizona State University 1995.</ref> Major exhibitions on colonial art have resulted in fine catalogues as a permanent record, with many examples of colonial religious art.<ref>Linda Bantel and Marcus Burke, ''Spain and New Spain: Mexican Colonial Arts in their European Context''. Exhibition catalog. Corpus Christi TX: Art Museum of South Texas 1979.</ref><ref>Diana Fane, ed. ''Converging Cultures: Art and Identity in Spanish America''. Exhibition catalog.  New York: The Brooklyn Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams. 1996.</ref><ref>''Los Siglos de oro en los Virreinatos de América 1550-1700''. Exhibition catalog. Madrid: Sociedad  Estatal para la Conmemoración de los Centenarios de Felipe II y Carlos V, 1999.</ref><ref>Donna Pierce et al., ''Painting a New World: Mexican Art and Life 1521-1821''. Exhibition catalog. Denver: Denver Art Museum 2004.</ref><ref>’’The Arts in Latin America: 1492-1820’’. Exhibition catalog. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art 2006.</ref><eod>
<sod>Until the mid eighteenth century, the subject of most paintings was religious in some form or other, so that the historiography of colonial visual culture is weighted toward religion.  Publication on colonial art has a long tradition, especially in Mexico.<ref>Manuel Toussaint, ''Arte colonial en México''.  Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, 1948. 5th edition 1990.</ref> In recent years there has been a boom in publications on colonial art, with some useful overviews published.<ref>Pál Kelemen, ''Peruvian Colonial Painting''. New York: The Brooklyn Museum 1971.</ref><ref>Marcus Burke, ''Treasures of Mexican Colonial Painting''. Davenport IA: The Davenport Museum of Art 1998.</ref><ref>Richard Kagan, ''Urban Images of the Hispanic World, 1493-1793''. New Haven: Yale University Press 2000.</ref><ref>Gauvin Alexander Bailey, ''Art of Colonial Latin America''. London: Phaidon 2005</ref><ref>Kelly Donahue-Wallace, ''Art and Architecture of Viceregal Latin America, 1521-1821''. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 2008. The work deals exclusively with Spanish America.</ref><ref>Emily Umberger and Tom Cummins, eds. ''Native Artists and Patrons in Colonial Spanish America''. ''Phoebus: A Journal of Art History''. Phoenix: Arizona State University 1995.</ref> Major exhibitions on colonial art have resulted in fine catalogues as a permanent record, with many examples of colonial religious art.<ref>Linda Bantel and Marcus Burke, ''Spain and New Spain: Mexican Colonial Arts in their European Context''. Exhibition catalog. Corpus Christi TX: Art Museum of South Texas 1979.</ref><ref>Diana Fane, ed. ''Converging Cultures: Art and Identity in Spanish America''. Exhibition catalog.  New York: The Brooklyn Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams. 1996.</ref><ref>''Los Siglos de oro en los Virreinatos de América 1550-1700''. Exhibition catalog. Madrid: Sociedad  Estatal para la Conmemoración de los Centenarios de Felipe II y Carlos V, 1999.</ref><ref>Donna Pierce et al., ''Painting a New World: Mexican Art and Life 1521-1821''. Exhibition catalog. Denver: Denver Art Museum 2004.</ref><ref>’’The Arts in Latin America: 1492-1820’’. Exhibition catalog. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art 2006.</ref><eod>