20 October 2012

Religious art in Peru

I have been lucky to visit a number of magnificent museums and churches in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. I have therefore been struck by the difference and the syncretism between Hispanic and Peruvian art as the conquistadors started evangelising Peru (which came to be known, among others, as the Cusco School):

Descriptive illustration of a group of bishops, cardinals and popes burning in hell as a sign of the impartiality of divine judgement
Spanish priest "saving" the Indian
Jesus's blood vividly becoming wine
Arquebusier and sword angels depicted as Spanish aristocrats
The trinity actually represented as three similar faces
Another depiction of the trinity
Relief painting
Relief painting
Crucifix built on the frame and separating two sides of a painting and Jesus washing the feet of a disciple and the last supper
Native flora and fauna as backdrop
Soldier woman in an altar piece niche
Religious painting in Peru