The world’s great masters are not exclusive to Europe. From Brazil
we have Tunga, best known for his fascinating sculptures about the
human body. From Chile, Roberto Matta, is a seminal figure in 20th
century abstract expressionist and surrealist art. From Colombia we
have beloved Fernando Botero who created his own exaggerated
style of Boterismo and from Mexico the foremost muralist Diego
Rivera. These are only a few of the influential and brilliant artists
that hail from across Latin America. This region is also home to
artistic movements grounded in heritage, history and tradition —
and deserve to be exalted. —
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Following European colonization, the arts that evolved
were deeply intertwined with the state religion of Roman
Catholicism. This birthed the Cusco School, which began
from the conquest of Peru in the 1530s and lasted through
the 18th century. As a means of converting the newly
subdued Incas to Catholicism, the Spanish came to rely on
indigenous and mestizo artists. While traveling to Lima or
Pisco, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself face-toface
with the vivid and earthy tones, gold leaf accents, and
unconventional religious forms of The Cusco School’s body
of work.
Among the leaders of the Cusco School are Indian painters
Diego Quispe Tito and Basilio Santa Cruz Pumacallao.
Such is their legacy that throughout the 17th century,
industrial workshops made canvases in large quantities
for merchants who would sell these works to cities across
Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. Continuing the work in
the 18th century was Marcos Zapata. His pictorial output,
which spans more than 200 paintings, ranges between
1748 and 1764. The best are the fifty large canvases that
cover the high arches of the Cathedral of Cusco and that
are characterized by the abundance of flora and fauna as a
decorative element.
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