Woman in wheat field

In the late nineteenth century the artistic activity developed in Lima lacked the institutional spaces and occupied a marginal role in intellectual discussion. It was not surprising then, that artists of the time were mainly engaged in commercial painting of portraits and, to a lesser degree, of landscapes. The latter was developed in small formats, and was an activity dominated by amateur artists. In fact, few local artists had any sort of formal education. Luis Astete y Concha, who had taken courses in the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, but apparently failed to complete his training, was an exception to this rule. Upon his return to Lima, Astete would become engaged in conventional portraits and intimate domestic scenes, though his main subjects would be taken from the countryside and from the city’s outlying districts. A good example is the canvas presented here, where the sketch-like appearance and care for capturing the effects of the light represented a novelty in the local context. (RK)