17th Century Cusco Madonna and Child Nursing Mixed-Media Painting, Framed

Created in the 17th-18th century oil on canvas with gold leaf detailing. Authentic piece of cultural history. 16” H x 1.5”D x 14”W The tradition originated after the 1534 Spanish conquest of Peru and it is considered the first artistic center that systematically taught European artistic techniques in the Americas. The Spanish contribution, and in general European, to the Cusco School of painting, is given from very early time, when the construction of the Cathedral of Cusco begins. Cuzqueño art Cusqueña paintings are characterized by their use of exclusively religious subjects, their lack of perspective, and the predominance of red, yellow and earth colors. They are also remarkable for their lavish use of gold leaf, especially with images of the Virgin Mary. Though the Cusqueño painters were familiar with prints of Byzantine, Flemish and Italian Renaissance art, their works were freer than those of their European tutors; they used bright colors and distorted, dramatic images. They often adapted the topics to depict their native flora and fauna as a backdrop in their works.