Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [32]
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A buzzing visual tribute to the capital, Mario Testino’s book Lima features the renowned fashion photographer’s pictures of the city alongside works by emerging Peruvian artists.
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Juxtaposed against the austerity of indigenous architecture are the hundreds of ornate Spanish churches and colonial houses that serve as the center of so many cities and towns. The 16th century saw a veritable building boom of structures constructed in what is referred to as ‘Andean baroque’ – a baroque style with indigenous flourishes. Prime examples are the grand Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (Click here) in Cuzco and the fabulously ornate Jesuit church in Andahuaylillas (Click here), known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of Latin America.’ Less flamboyant – but still equally intriguing –are the colonial and colonial-style structures found in Arequipa. The city’s gleaming buildings are made primarily from a white volcanic rock called sillar. Particularly worthwhile is the Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Click here) –even if you think you’ve already been to every church worth seeing in Peru, this is one not to miss.
During the 19th century, the influence of Western European architecture was seen in neoclassical, beaux arts and Victorian structures, which popped up in major cities. The 20th century saw buildings constructed in various idioms, from art deco to space-age modern. In the 1960s and ’70s, cities such as Lima produced more concrete-heavy brutalism than you can shake a cement mixer at. In recent years, some Peruvian design offices – such as Longhi Architects – have begun to incorporate pre-Columbian design elements into contemporary architecture, but these projects have been primarily residential.
Painting & Sculpture
The country’s most famous art movement dates from the 17th and 18th centuries, when the artists of the Cuzco School produced thousands of religious paintings, the vast majority of which remain unattributed. Created by native and mestizo artists, the pieces frequently feature holy figures laced in gold paint and rendered in a style inspired by mannerist and late Gothic art, but also bear traces of an indigenous color palette and iconography. Today, these hang in museums and churches throughout Peru – and reproductions are sold in many crafts markets.
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Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca by Rebecca Stone-Miller provides a broad overview of Andean art and architecture, with more than 180 images to accompany and explain the text.
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One of the most well-known artistic figures of the 19th century is Pancho Fierro (1807–1879), the illegitimate son of a priest and a slave, who painted highly evocative watercolors of the everyday figures that occupied Lima’s streets: fishmongers, teachers and Catholic religious figures clothed in lush robes.
In the early 20th century, an indigenous movement led by painter José Sabogal (1888–1956) achieved national prominence. Like his contemporaries in Mexico (Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo), Sabogal was interested in integrating pre-Columbian design with Peruvian fine art. He painted indígena women and incorporated textile patterns into his work. As director of the National School of Arts in Lima, he influenced a whole generation of painters, including Julia Codesido (1892–1979), Mario Urteaga (1875–1957) and Enrique Camino Brent (1909–1960). By the 1960s, abstract art took hold, led by artists such as Fernando de Szyszlo (b 1925), who incorporated pre-Columbian myth into his imagery. Other well-known 20th-century artists are Alberto Quintanilla (b 1934), and Victor Delfín (b 1927), whose sculpture of a couple kissing sits prominently on a Miraflores cliff top. Two contemporary artists whose work is worth seeking out are photographer Natalia Iguíñiz (b 1973) and the