Peruvian art has its origin in the

Andean civilizations The Andean civilizations were complex societies of many cultures and peoples mainly developed in the river valleys of the coastal deserts of Peru. They stretched from the Andes of southern Colombia southward down the Andes to Chile and northwest ...

. These

civilizations A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). Civi ...

rose in the territory of modern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

before the arrival of the Spanish.

Pre-Columbian art

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 Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

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 A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

to create a variety of sculpture and relief carvings. These civilizations were also known for their

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

and wood sculpture. Between the 9th century BC and the 2st 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 yielde
complex textiles
many produced with sophisticated geometric patterns. The 3rd century BCE saw the flowering of the urban culture, Moche, in the Lambayeque region. The

Mochica culture The Moche civilization (; alternatively, the Mochica culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimú) flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch. ...

produced impressive architectural works, such as the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna and the Huaca Rajada of

Sipan Huaca Rajada, also known as Sipán, is a Moche archaeological site in northern Peru in the Lambayeque Valley, that is famous for the tomb of '' Lord of Sipán'' (El Señor de Sipán), excavated by Walter Alva and his wife Susana Meneses beginn ...

. They were expert at cultivation in terraces and

hydraulic engineering Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the m ...

and produced original ceramics, textiles, pictorial and sculptural works. Another urban culture, the Wari civilization, flourished between the 8th and 12th centuries in

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

. Their centralized town planning was extended to other areas, such as

Pachacamac Pachacámac ( qu, Pachakamaq) is an archaeological site southeast of Lima, Peru in the Valley of the Lurín River. The site was first settled around A.D. 200 and was named after the "Earth Maker" creator god Pacha Kamaq. The site flourished ...

, Cajamarquilla and Wari Willka. Between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, the military urban

Tiwanaku Tiwanaku ( es, Tiahuanaco or ) is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America. Surface remains currently cover around 4 square kilo ...

empire rose by the borders of

Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca (; es, Lago Titicaca ; qu, Titiqaqa Qucha) is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. By volume of water and by surface area, i ...

. 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

and art were made possible by the Tiwanaku's developing bronze, which enabled them to make the necessary tools. Urban architecture reached a new height between the 14th and 15th centuries in the Chimú Culture. The Chimú built the city of

Chan Chan Chan Chan was the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America. It is now an archaeological site in La Libertad Region west of Trujillo, Peru. Chan Chan is located in the mouth of the Moche Valley and was the capital of the historic ...

in the valley of the Moche river, in La Libertad. The

Chimú Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture. The culture arose about 900 AD, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fifty y ...

were skilled

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

s and created remarkable works of

. The

Inca Civilization The Incas were most notable for establishing the Inca Empire in Pre-Columbian America, which was centered in modern day South America in Peru and Chile. It was about 2,500 miles from the northern to southern tip. The civilization lasted from 1 ...

, 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 The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

. File:Paracas mantle, BM.jpg, Nazca mantle from Paracas Necropolis, 1-100 CE This is a "double fish" (probably sharks) design, Brooklyn Museum File:Nariguera Moche2.JPG, Moche ''Nariguera'' depicting the Decapitator (Ayapec, Ai Apaec), gold with turquoise and

chrysocolla Chrysocolla ( ) is a hydrated copper phyllosilicate mineral and mineraloid with formula (x<1) or . The structure of the mineral has been questioned, as a 2006 spectrographic study suggest material identified as ...

inlays, c. 200–850 CE, Museo Oro del Peru, Lima File:Over Machu Picchu.jpg, A view of Machu Picchu, Incan architecture, c. 1450 CE

Colonial art

Peruvian

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

and

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

began to define themselves from the

ateliers An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...

founded by

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s, who were strongly influenced by the Sevillian Baroque School. In this context, the stalls of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

choir, the fountain of the Main Square of

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 Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

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. Painting of this time reflected a synthesis of European and indigenous influences, as is evident in the portrait of prisoner Atahualpa, by D. de Mora or in the canvases of the Italians Mateo Pérez de Alesio and

Angelino Medoro Angelino Medoro (1567–1631) was an Italian painter during the 17th-century, active in Latin America. His work in the Viceroyalty of Peru was greatly influential on the Cuzco School art movement. Biography Angelino Medoro was born in 1567 in p ...

, the Spaniards Francisco Bejarano and J. de Illescas and the Creole J. Rodriguez. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Baroque Style also dominated the field of plastic arts. File:Brooklyn Museum - Virgin of Carmel Saving Souls in Purgatory - Circle of Diego Quispe Tito - overall.jpg, ''Virgin of Carmel Saving Souls in Purgatory,'' Circle of Diego Quispe Tito, 17th century, collection of the Brooklyn Museum Image:Cusi Huarcay.jpg, ''The Marriage of Captain Martin de Loyola to Beatriz Ñusta'', detail, c. 1675-1690, Church of la Compañía de Jesús, Cuzco Image:Cuzqueña2.jpg, ''Our Lady of Bethelem'', anonymous, 18th century Image:Warriorangel.jpg, ''Archangel Uriel'', anonymous, 18th century, featuring an Ángel arcabucero 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.

19th century

In the 19th century, French neoclassic and romantic currents es in L. Montero,

Ignacio Merino Ignacio Merino Muñoz (30 January 1817 in Piura – 17 March 1876 in Paris) was a Peruvian painter who spent much of his life in Paris. He specialized in historical and costumbrista works. Biography His father, Don José, was a judge, district ...

Daniel Hernández Morillo Daniel Hernández Morillo (1 August 1856, Salcabamba – 23 October 1932, Lima) was a Peruvian painter in the Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary h ...

and Francisco Masias.

Modern and contemporary

Indigenous movement

The establishment of the Fine Arts School of Lima (1919) had a decisive influence on Peruvian sculpture and painting. In

, some of the most remarkable artists include Luis Agurto, L. Valdettaro, Joaquin Roca Rey, J. Piqueras, Alberto Guzmán, Victor Delfín and F. Sánchez. Among the painters, Daniel Hernández, R. Grau, Cesar Quispez Asin and Jose Sabogal are particularly notable. Sabogal headed the indigenous movement, which was one of the main influences on Peruvian contemporary painting. Among the most notable painters in the indigenous movement was Julia Codesido. Some of the most widely recognized painters are

Fernando de Szyszlo Fernando de Szyszlo Valdelomar (5 July 1925 – 9 October 2017) was a Peruvian painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, printmaking, printmaker, and teaching, teacher who was a key figure in advancing abstraction, abstract art in Latin America ...

, Alberto Davila, Armando Villegas, Sabino Springett, Bernardo Rivero, J. Alberto Tello Montalvo, Victor Humareda, M. A. Cuadros, Ángel Chávez, Milner Cajahuaringa, Arturo Kubotta,

Venancio Shinki Venancio Shinki (April 1, 1932 – November 17, 2016) was considered one of the most outstanding Peruvian painters. He was born in Supe, Lima, Peru. His father (Kitsuke Shinki of Hiroshima Prefecture) was Japanese and had arrived to Peru in 1915 ...

, Alberto Quintanilla (wiki Es), G. Chávez,

Tilsa Tsuchiya Tilsa Tsuchiya Castillo (September 24, 1928 – September 23, 1984), was a Peruvian printmaker and painter known for her paintings of Peruvian myths and legends. She is considered one of the greatest exemplars of Peruvian painting, having won the p ...

, David Herskowitz, Oscar Allain, Carlos Revilla,

Sérvulo Gutiérrez Sérvulo Gutiérrez Alarcón (1914 – 21 July 1961) was a Peruvian artist, described by ''The Times'' as "Peru’s most celebrated painter".

and Amilcar Salomon Zorrilla (Peru). In the field of photography, Martín Chambi made major contributions. Bingham1922 Mausoleo de Machu Picchu

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

Cristina Gálvez 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. Within the history of Contemporary Art in Peru the Third Biennial of Trujilo in 1990 played an important role. 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. 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. Another milestone in the history of contemporary Peruvian art is the Travestite Museum created by the philosopher and drag queen Giussepe Campuzano in 2003.

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."Chulucanas Potery [sic] History."
''Ceramica Chulucanas.'' (retrieved 15 Nov 2011) 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. The Ayacucho Region is known for its

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

s, or devotional paintings. San Pedro de Cajas in Ayacucho produces collectible looms. Cusco artistans create stuffed animals and

doll A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are foun ...

s. Cochas-Huancayo is known for its gourd art.

References

External links

''Ancient Peruvian ceramics: the Nathan Cummings collection by Alan R. Sawyer''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Peruvian art
{{Authority control Art by country Peruvian culture