2.2 José Celestino Mutis by painter Salvador Rizo Blanco

Salvador Rizo Blanco was a painter, director of the drawing schools, and steward of the Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada. Classified as a pardo within the colonial social order, he played fundamental role in producing the scientific images of the expedition. His career reflects the contradictions of colonial society. Although he held an important position within the Royal Botanical Expedition, he also participated in the purchase of enslaved people for the expedition. Despite his significance, his name has occupied a secondary place in traditional accounts of the history of science and art in Colombia.