Peru's earliest artwork came from the Cupisnique culture, which was concentrated on the Pacific coast, and the Chavín culture, which was largely north of Lima between the Andean mountain ranges of the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca. Decorative work from this era, approximately the 9th century BCE, was symbolic and religious in nature. The artists worked with gold, silver and ceramics to create a variety of sculpture and relief carvings. These civilizations were also known for their architecture and wood sculpture.
Between the 9th century BC and the 2nd century CE, the Paracas Cavernas and Paracas Necropolis cultures developed on the south coast of Peru. Paracas Cavernas produced complex polychrome and monochrome ceramics with religious representations. Burials from the Paracas Necropolis also yielded complex textiles, many produced with sophisticated geometric patterns.
Between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, the military urban Tiwanaku empire rose by the borders of Lake Titicaca. Centered around a city of the same name in modern-day Bolivia, the Tiwanaku introduced stone architecture and sculpture of a monumental type. These works of architecture and art were made possible by the Tiwanaku's developing bronze, which enabled them to make the necessary tools.
The Inca Civilization, which united Peru under its hegemony in the centuries immediately preceding the Spanish conquest, incorporated into their own works a great part of the cultural legacy of the civilizations which preceded it. Important relics of their artwork and architecture can be seen in cities like Cusco, architectural remains like Sacsahuaman and Machu Picchu and stone pavements that united Cusco with the rest of the Inca Empire.
Moche Nariguera depicting the Decapitator (Ayapec, Ai Apaec), gold with turquoise and chrysocolla inlays, c. 200–850 CE, Museo Oro del Peru, Lima
A view of Machu Picchu, Incan architecture, c. 1450 CE
Textile doll (11th century), Chancay culture, found near Lima, Walters Art Museum. Of their small size, dolls are frequently found in ancient Peruvian tombs.[1]
Colonial art
Peruvian sculpture and painting began to define themselves from the ateliers founded by monks, who were strongly influenced by the Sevillian Baroque School. In this context, the stalls of the Cathedral choir, the fountain of the Main Square of Lima[2] both by Pedro de Noguera, and a great part of the colonial production were registered. The first center of art established by the Spanish was the Cuzco School that taught Quechua artists European painting styles. Diego Quispe Tito (1611–1681) was one of the first members of the Cuzco school and Marcos Zapata (1710–1773) was one of the last.
The image of Mary in Our Lady of Bethlehem hosts a lot of European styling and representations of the Western Mary. She is elevated from the ground, and is wearing a crown and has the faint image of a circular halo behind her head. She is being presented as cherubic figures pull back drapery, as if she is being "showcased." Surrounding her are small cherubic heads, often referred to as "puti's" in Southern American culture. They represent the innocence of children and act as a nod to her maternity and Jesus. She is dresses in obvious western, high-culture garments - highly adorned. Even the infant Christ is portrayed in western apparel.
In the field of photography, Martín Chambi made major contributions.
Contemporary art
Teresa Burga was a multimedia artist that works with conceptual art since the 60s and 70s. She was a pioneer in media art, art and technology and installation art in Peru. She was one of the most important non-objectualist artists of those decades in Peru.
In sculptureCristina Gálvez[7] was one of the most influential artists and art educators.
In the 1980s after the art festival Contacta 1979 the group Huayco was created by Charo Noriega, Mariella Zevallos, Maria Luy, Armando Williams, Herbert Rodriguez and Juan Javier Salazar. This group appropriated the means of production and iconography of popular aesthetics.[8]
Within the history of Contemporary Art in Peru the Third Biennial of Trujilo in 1990 played an important role.[9] This biennial included local artists as well as artists from neighboring countries. Jorge Eduardo Eielson and Jorge Piqueras were among the exhibiting artists that returned to Peru from Europe to participate within this biennial. It was the last biennial in Trujillo. In 1992 the artist Jaime Higa presented an exhibition at The Museum of Italian Art in Lima curated by Gustavo Buntinx.[10] The 80s were marked by the civil war and artists responded to the political situation. Among these artists are Eduardo Tokeshi, Ricardo Wiesse and Alfredo Marquez.
Later on in 1997 the First Ibero American Biennial was produced in Lima directed by Luis Lama. This biennial allowed for the exchange of ideas and a wider exposure for Peruvian artists. A memorable moment within this biennial was the unexpected performance by Elena Tejada-Herrera, which became an milestone within the history of Peruvian performance art. In 1999 Tejada-Herrera was awarded the first prize in the contest Passport for and Artist with a performance for which she hired street sellers performing on the streets of Lima.[11]
Another milestone in the history of contemporary Peruvian art is the Travestite Museum created by the philosopher and drag queen Giussepe Campuzano in 2003.
[12]
Folk art
Chulucanas pottery originates in the Piura Region. Inspired by pre-Incan ceramics, the bold, graphic pottery is now exported all over the world.[13] Designs are varied, but are predominated by black and white. There are several bigger companies but a lot of small manufactures are in Chulucanas itself and in the nearby villages of Quatro Esquinas.
Folk art (specifically dance, music, and costume) is preserved at the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo in Cusco, which is recognized as the first folk institution of all of Peru.[14][15]
Further reading
Americas Society, Art Gallery. Potosí: Colonial Treasures and the Bolivian City of Silver. New York 1997.
Banco Crédito del Peru. Colección arte y tesoros del Perú: Escultura en el Perú. Lima 1999.
Banco Crédito del Peru. Colección arte y tesoros del Perú: Pintura en el Virreinato del Perú. Lima 2001.
Banco Crédito del Peru. Colección arte y tesoros del Perú: Pintura mural en el sur andino. Lima 1999.
Banco Crédito del Peru. Colección arte y tesoros del Perú: Pintura virreynal. Lima 1973.
Benavente Velarde. Historia del arte cusqueño: Pintores cusqueños de la colonia. Cuzco 1995.
Castedo, Leopoldo. The Cuzco Circle. New York 1976.
Cummins, Thomas B.F. Toasts with the Inca: Andean Abstraction and Colonial Images on Quero Vessels. Ann Arbor 2002.
Damian, Carol. The Virgin of the Andes: Art and Ritual in Colonial Cuzco. Miami Beach 1995.
Dean, Carolyn. Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ: Corpus Christi in Colonial Cuzco, Peru. Durham: Duke University Press 1999.
Kennedy, Alexandra, ed. Arte de la Real Audiencia de Quito, siglos XVII-XIX. Quito 2002.
Museo del Arte de Lima. Art in Peru: works from the Collection of the Museo de Arte de Lima. Lima 2000.
Navarro, José Gabriel. El arte en la provincia de Quito. Mexico City 1960.
Palmer, Gabrielle G. Sculpture in the Kingdom of Quito. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press 1987.
Urton, Gary. Signs of the Inka Khipu. Austin: University of Texas Press 2003.
Wethey, Harold E. Colonial Architecture and Sculpture in Peru. Cambridge MA 1949.
^Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo, García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge ; Trivelli, Carlo (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura. El Comercio. p. 132. Retrieved 14 April 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo, García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge ; Trivelli, Carlo (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura (2004 ed.). El Comercio. p. 170. Retrieved 14 April 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo ; García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge, Trivelli, Carlo. (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura (2004 ed.). El Comercio. p. 165. Retrieved 14 April 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Trivelli, Carlo., Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo ; García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura (2004 ed.). El Comercio. p. 171. Retrieved 14 April 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo ; García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge, Trivelli, Carlo (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura (2004 ed.). El comercio. p. 182. Retrieved 14 April 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo ; García Bryce, José ; Majluf, Natalia ; Villacorta, Jorge, Trivelli, Carlo. (2004). Enciclopedia Temática del Perú. Arte y Arquitectura (2004 ed.). El Comercio. p. 182.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Nosotros". Centro Qosqo De Arte Nativo (in Spanish). Centro Qosqo De Arte Nativo.
^Mendoza, Zoila S. (2006). Crear y sentir lo nuestro: folclor, identidad regional y nacional en el Cuzco, siglo XX. Lima: Fondo editorial de la Pontificia universidad católica del Perú. p. 99. ISBN9972-42-770-6.