The aesthetic of the illicit made dark skin fashionable and profitable

Evidence

During the Renaissance, the black Muslim continued to occupy a place in the Christian imaginary as a nefarious figure and enemy of Christendom, as in Figure 2.5, where he participates in the torture of Christ. Satan continued to be called a long list of names related to skin color, including the black knight, black man, big Negro, black Jehovah, and black Ethiopian. Medieval and Renaissance art are certainly not the only places we find such depictions, but they are more overtly linked to Satan than in later periods. The Disrobing of Christ is another painting featuring a villain—a Black Saracen, Moor, or Turk. In this example, a Muslim is shown harassing Christ; also of interest is a character who carries a shield with an African man’s face on it, mirroring a medieval painting of Saracens carrying shields with African men on their faces. In this case, the African is depicted with black skin, a large, hooked nose, and a turban. In these images, we see the persistence of the trope of the Black Muslim. Through his skin tone, he is implicated as a sinister enemy. — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 270 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Dark skin itself functions as a moral and demonic signifier in Gothic fiction — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 498; Bourgeoisie aestheticized crime to mask their own practiced illegalities — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 435; Perceived authenticity of a thing heightens its aesthetic value — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 265 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Renaissance art linked dark skin to Satan and Muslim villainy #complicates (0.75) — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 270