Representación de la naturaleza y el espacio en la pintura andina de los siglos XVII y XVIII
In the colonial period, the great subject matter of nature was instrumentalized by different sectors of Peruvian vice regal society. Essentially as an evangelization tool, but also as a space where colonial religiosity was manifested, the representation of nature was interpreted in different ways by artists and consumers of vice regal paintings. In this dissertation, we analyze the representation of nature in colonial Andean painting, focusing especially on the Central Andean region (currently covered by Peru and Bolivia) in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This work seeks to move forward on an issue that has been largely underestimated by critical discourse of art history regarding the Latin American colonial period. We will discuss this problem from different perspectives. However, the religious aspect seems to be above all a fundamental element to explain the key issues behind this pictorial manner. The representation of nature was consistent with spiritual values that forged colonial religiosity. Andean people considered nature as a way to visualize deep metaphysical experiences by rethinking religious identities and granting to the images magical-religious powers essential for the well-being of communities. Beyond the religious aspect, we focus on the analysis of other consequences and interests that are related to the different forms of representation of territories and elements of nature, allowing different social groups to assert their ideological, political and cultural positions. The representation of nature and space in colonial painting was never a simple decorative object, nor, in the case of religious painting, did it fulfil the role of scenographic framework and background to pictorial stories. The colonial painters treated this element with particular concern, conceding it special value and narrative powers, according to different preoccupations in colonial society.
Nature morte Art of the Viceroyalty of Peru Andean viceregal painting Painting and nature Landscape Still life