The Cusco School of Painting

The Cusco School of Painting

Have you ever heard of the famous depiction of  Christ’s Last Supper in the Cathedral of Cusco, where the main dish is a roasted guinea pig?

Have you ever heard of that painting described as being Cuzco Baroque?

Well, it’s not. Marcos Zapata painted his Last Supper in 1748, nearly a half century after the Baroque period had ended.

The Last Supper by Marco Zapata (1748) most famous for the guinea pig featured as the main course.
The Last Supper by Marco Zapata (1748) most famous for the guinea pig featured as the main course.

There’s a popular tendency to incorrectly lump all Cusco School (Escuela Cuzqueña) of painting into that one particular historic category of art.

Here is a very brief rundown, with examples, of the main periods of the Cusco School, famous for the intertwining of Catholic themes with Andean iconography with the intent to evangelize native communities.

Mannerist: 1580-1660

Bernardo de Bitti - La Coronación de la Virgen
Bernardo de Bitti – The Coronation of the Virgin

Baroque: 1660-1700

Diego Quispe Tito - La sagrada familia y los ángeles
Diego Quispe Tito – The Sacred Family and the Angels
Desposorio de la Virgen - anonimo
The Marriage of the Virgin – Anonymous

Syncretist: 1700-1790

Marco Zapata Last Supper - 1748

Pintura Popular: 1700-1790

Tadeo Escalante – Hell

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Authored by: PeruTravelTrends

A Peru Tour Operator and Travel Agency: Since 1994 creating wonderful vacation experiences for adventure travelers and holidaymakers in Cusco, Lima, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, and all around the Andean region.

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