The Meadows Museum in Dallas presents a collection of 63 South American colonial paintings, created between 1600 and 1850, which have never been exhibited before. The works reflect Spanish power, Catholic faith, and the fusion of Indigenous, European, and African-descendant artists. For the local public, it is an opportunity for free access to historical pieces that showcase the cultural blend of the Americas, although its practical impact is limited to the cultural sphere.
The visual legacy of three centuries: techniques and materials in the exhibition 🎨
The exhibition brings together canvases and panels that employ natural pigments such as cochineal and indigo, along with gold leaf applied over gesso-prepared grounds. The artists combined European chiaroscuro with Andean iconography, using camelid-hair brushes and oils that have withstood the test of time. The installation includes low-UV LED lighting and humidity-controlled display cases, ensuring the conservation of these pieces that document the technical evolution of the Cusco and Quito schools.
If you can't go to South America, let South America come to your museum ✈️
It is ironic that you have to travel to Texas to see art that in Lima or Bogotá sleeps in unclimate-controlled storage. The exhibition is an express trip to the past without needing a visa or vaccinations, only patience to read the labels in English. That said, if you expected to see angels with Andean features and virgins in polleras, here they are, but don't touch anything: the only one who can touch is the janitor with his fiber-optic duster.