Perezosa (Idle Woman)

Trained initially at the Lima Studio of the Italian Leonardo Barbieri, the painter Daniel Hernández left Peru in 1874 to continue his studies in Paris and Rome. In Europe he achieved a degree of success in official salons with paintings that, in spite of superficial signs of renewal, remained bound in spirit to the narrative and anecdotal painting of the nineteenth century. This painting is a clear example of this renewed academicism. The pastel tones and the lightness of the facture associate it with the gracious scenes set in the eighteenth century which, in the French rococo spirit, Hernández produced in other canvases. This type of indulgent painting won him favor in Europe’s official painting circles, as well as major awards such as the Gold Medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. During his time in Lima, from 1918 until his death in 1932, Hernández mostly devoted himself to teaching, as the director of the School of Fine Arts. He also produced portraits and historical paintings, a genre that enjoyed brief popularity in the midst of the celebrations surrounding the centenary of Peruvian independence. While the themes of his work did not leave a great mark on the local art scene, his vocation as a teacher encouraged disciples of the stature of Jorge Vinatea Reinoso, who adopted a light palette and fluid brushstroke in their painting. (NM)