An Exploration of Peru Art
Today we will look at art from the 17th century and that originates in Peru. I chose Peru as I was there not too long ago, I did not have an eye for art as I do know but I do remember looking at some canvas in awe. Most of the 17th century was dominated by the baroque style. Peru is known for their wood carvings, Peru has a rich wood carving tradition derived from Spanish religious cultures and carved wood furniture for churches.
Diego Quispe Tito, The Last Judgment, Oil Canvas
(C.1675) Located in Convento de San Francisco
What a chaotic but yet beautiful piece. Cuzco has provided an enduring reminder of the fate of humanity on Judgement day. Sinners in hell were we see them begging for mercy as they drown in the heat and get tortured. While the souls in heaven, by contrast, surround the ascended Christ in an orderly formation. I remember learning about this day in Sunday school and it always scared me as one day Christ could come down and rip apart his followers from non-followers and the population would be separated. This piece gives me chills as the realism that follows the people underground surrounded by demonic beasts.
Quisoe has a strict scheme of Heaven and hell through the use of textural gloss to delimit the canvas. We are also presented with words in the canvas itself. The text describes their scenes in precise detail, which creates a strong interaction between linguistic and visual representation.
Christ Child with Passion Symbols
(C. Late 17th Century) Artist is unknown, oil canvas
Religious art was a popular theme for Peru during this century. Religious paintings in private chapels often had both didactic and devotional purposes. The Carpenter’s Shop in Nazareth as models for proper family conduct. An oratory would also have been an apt location for a painting such as the Christ Child with Passion Symbols, whose emblematic elements made it particularly suitable for devotion. There really is not much more on this piece I think that is due to the fact that we don't know the artist. Without the artist we are unable to have a deep analysis because we don't know their history, what's important to them, their view on life etc. I will admit I did not find this piece super appealing but it did make me ponder what the symbols on her dress represented. I don't believe she is an angel but more of a religious figure.
Kero artist unknown
(C. late 17 Century) Wood
I felt like it was only right to include an wood piece to this blog since it was such a big part of Pera culture. At first glance we see a wood face shaped into a big cup or a bowl. The face is supposed to represent the forest dwelling. The Eastern slopes of the Andes descend to the tropical rainforest of the great river basins. Eros shaped in the form of human heads are widely believed to have evolved in a later colonial phase. As someone that has traveled a lot I feel like I have seen many pieces like this in South America and Mexico. I don't find this piece beautiful but I was curious about the history behind it. I do like how this piece is directly connected to one of the largest forests in their continent.
My Sources
That’s so cool you were in Peru, that is on my list of places to go. It’s interesting to me the ubiquity of religious art, I honestly could go the rest of my life without seeing anymore of it. The wood piece you include is fun. I haven’t seen much wood carving art in any other eras or reading other peoples blog posts. According to Forbes Peru is known for many hand made items including pottery. In the town of Ayacucho they use the local red and cream colored clay to make and paint small churches. They have 33 in the town, one for every year of Jesus’ life. In the town of Quinua, every house has one of these small churches on top of them to ward against evil spirits.
ReplyDeletePeruvian Folk Art: Let Your Fingers Do The Shopping (forbes.com)