Unique paintings from colonial-era Peru, which developed under the Cuzco school of art in Spain’s American colonies from the 16th-18th century, would be on view at the India International Centre (IIC) here from next week…reports Asian Lite News
The distinct style refers to paintings done by local and European artists of Cuzco, the capital of the erstwhile Inca empire in South America. The works of these artists were influenced by European art, introduced after Peru was occupied by Spain.
On view here would be contemporary reproductions of some of these paintings in the exhibition titled “Colonial Art of Peru”.
The Peruvian indigenous artists transformed formal and iconographical types from European art to create a uniquely American style of religious painting. It was characterized by brilliant colour, flattened space and a strongly decorative aesthetic.
Favourite subjects include anecdotal biblical narratives, hieratic figures of the Virgin and saints, and gaily dressed archangels, as well as brightly coloured tropical birds and imaginary landscapes without reference to local geography.
The defining elements of the Cuzco school are believed to have originated in the art of painter Deigo Quispe Tito who painted exclusively religious subjects in the predominance of earthy, red and yellow colours.
The exhibition has been arranged by the Embassy of Peru and would be inaugurated by the Ambassador of Peru to India Carlos Rafael Polo Castaneda.
It would run from June 12-18 here.