Huascarán landscape

Teófilo Castillo saw in the Peruvian landscape an important motif, which he addressed not merely as a technical challenge, but also as a way of forging a national art. “Huascarán landscape” can been seen as one of the canvases that introduced landscape painting to Peru. Here, Castillo gives us a romanticized image of the highest mountain in Peru, seeking to overwhelm the viewer with the spectacle.

The artist does not limit himself to reproducing the panorama he is contemplating, choosing instead to idealize it, and to lend it a timeless quality. We see the peak in the last rays of the sun, while at its base Lake Llanganuco, barely illuminated by the reflection of the snowcapped mountain, is being crossed by a small boat. Castillo has also placed himself in the painting, making a sketch of the lake.