The antiquarian’s shop, Cusco

Painted by Teófilo Castillo around 1917, during an artistic visit to the city of Cusco, this is a real-life sketch where a general view predominates over the detailed description of each object. Influenced by the Iluminism of Mariano Fortuny, the artist describes the various impressions of light by means of fluid brushstrokes and thick impastos. To this end he used the “plein air” technique (painting the entire scene outdoors with no prior sketches), which gives these works a freshness that is absent from his great historical recreations. (RK)