The capture of the rustler

As the culmination of a long regional tradition, the work of the Cajamarca artist, Mario Urteaga, represents one of the most outstanding achievements of twentieth century Peruvian art. His bucolic views of daily life, the work in the fields and the religious festivals of the Northern Highlands comprise works of art of serious sensitivity that give his indigenous characters an air of respectful gravity. Urteaga was a prominent figure in the public life of his native city, dedicating himself alternately to journalism, business, photography and teaching. A self-taught painter, he became known in Lima as a result of an exhibition organized by his nephew, the painter Camilo Blas (Alfonso Sánchez Urteaga). Far from being a naïve artist, the painter is rigorous in the composition of his paintings and is often inspired by reproductions of European art. This painting is one of the rare works that Urteaga devoted to an almost endemic phenomenon of violence in the region: rustling. The idealized treatment of the scenery is emphasized, as well as the classic grouping that the painter provides for the characters. (NM)