Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Art and Literature
in Argentina
It is difficult to identify a cohesive “Argentinian” culture prior
to Independence; neither the descendants of the Spanish
settlers nor the indigenous tribes regarded themselves as
belonging to a “nation” in the modern sense. In the 1700s,
under the Viceroyalty of the Rió de la Plata whose intentions
in the region were purely commercial, Buenos Aires
remained a cultural backwater. Only gradually, after
Independence and spurred by immigration, a growing
middle class, and, later, the explosion of interest in Latin
American literature, did Argentina and its vibrant capital
begin to export as well as to import arts and culture.
Secular Art
The War of Independence that
Argentina waged against Spain
had been fueled by the rationa-
list ideas of the Enlightenment
and the French Revolution,
so it is no surprise that the
country's postcolonial artists
largely ignored religious themes.
The first major Argentinian
artists were the painter and
lithographer Carlos Morel
(1813-94) and Prilidiano
Pueyrredón (1823-70). The
latter's
Retrato de Manuelita
Rosas
and
The Bath
document
the era with great clarity.
Cándido López (1840-1902) was
a painter and soldier famous for
his paintings of the War of the
Triple Alliance (1864-70).
Buenos Aires produced few
significant artists until the late
19th century, when immigration
invigorated the city's cultural
scene. Well-known painters
include Benito Quinquela Martín
(1890-1977) and Fortunato
Lacámera (1887-1951).
Modernist styles, mainly
French Cubism and Italian
Futurism, were imported from
Europe's art capitals in the early
20th century. The key artists
of this period were Antonio
Berni (1905-81) and Xul Solar
(1887-1963). Also popular was
Florencio Molina Campos
(1891-1959), best known for
his gaucho caricatures. Major
contemporary artists include
Antonio Segúi (b.1934), Luis
Fernando Benedit (b.1937), and
Guillermo Kuitca (b.1961), who is
Religious and
Indigenous Art
Pre-Hispanic art in what
would later become Argentina
was mainly produced in the
country's northwestern regions,
particularly in the valleys of
Catamarca and Salta, where
the indigenous population
developed an array of pottery,
metalwork, ceramics, and
textiles. Noteworthy is the
pottery produced during the
La Aguada period (AD 650-
900), which usually explored
animistic themes through
geo met ric represent ations of
fantastic animals and anthropo-
morphic avatars of gods and
monsters, reminiscent - on a
less sophisticated level - of
Hindu and Egyptian art. Cave
paintings from much earlier
epochs have been discovered
in several provinces, the most
famous being Cueva de las
Manos in Patagonia
(see p247)
.
Art in the colonial era
was dominated by religious
painting - especially of the
Cusco School - architecture,
and sculpture. The finest works
of this period are the altarpieces
and pulpits produced by Jesuit
sculptors working with
indigenous craftsmen. The ruins
found in San Ignacio Mini
(see
p173)
are a fine example of this.
Jesuit architects such as Andrés
Bianchi (1677-1740) built
temples, schools, and acco-
mmodations in the north of the
Colonial religious painting of the
Cusco School
country, the ruins of which still
inspire awe for their scale and
elegance. The water colors of
German Jesuit Florian Pauke
(1719-89) show the everyday
life and work of both the indige-
nous population and European
travelers, and are striking for
conferring the former with the
same dignity and strength of
purpose as the latter.
Painting by Cándido López at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires
