Ancient Peru as a Cultural and Modern Identity in the Peruvian Arts in the First Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

How was ancient Peruvian art brought into the debate about the process of modernism and avant-garde in modern Peruvian art at the beginning of the 20th century? In this article we want to address the change of meaning which occurred regarding this type of ancient art from objects primarily considered as archaeological artefacts to artistic objects in their own right. This paradigm shift began with artists such as Teófilo Castillo and the historian Horacio Urteaga. We consider its incorporation in the first graduating classes of the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Lima and the importance of several prominent local personalities from the museum field, such as the historian and anthropologist Luis E. Valcárcel, the painters José Sabogal and Elena Izcue, and the anthropologist Julio C. Tello in furthering this paradigm shift. In this way, the art of ancient Peru will be linked to different points of view which figured prominently in the artistic debates of that time.