St Joseph Art Print (Spanish Colonial)

• Our giclée prints are produced using only the highest quality materials, right here in America. We use premium cotton canvas and paper, and all our materials surpass the standards set by the Fine Art Trade Guild.
• Our stretched canvas is 1.5 inches deep, with mirrored wrapped edges, canvas backing and wire hanger– ready to be hung! It can also be inserted into a canvas floater frame.
• Small prints are shipped safely in a clear bag with a board, then secured in a sturdy shipping mailer. For larger prints, we use tissue and kraft paper to carefully roll them up, then pack them in a strong shipping art tube to ensure they arrive in excellent condition.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: We are unable to ship stretched canvases outside of the U.S. at this time. If you live outside the U.S., please select the rolled option for your canvas. Thank you!

FRAME NOT INCLUDED. Frames displayed are to help you imagine the artwork in your home and to inspire you with framing ideas– they are NOT included with your print. The thin gold frame I like to use is: "Foundry" by MCS.

The Cusco School came about alongside the Spanish conquest of Peru in the 1530’s and lasted through the 18th century. As a means of converting the newly subdued Incas to Catholicism, the Spanish came to rely on religious artwork that intertwined Catholic themes with indigenous iconography. Visit the Cusco Cathedral for a look at Marcos Zapata’s mural featuring guinea pig at Christ’s Last Supper to see exactly what we’re talking about. Though this type of painting was what the Spanish had in mind when they taught the indigenous artists how to paint with oils, the natives took their skills in new directions. In the process, they came to be referred to as The Cusco School for their unique, distinctly Cusqueña, style and choice of subject matter.

Influenced by their European teachers, this group of trained indigenous and mestizo artists tended to paint exclusively religious figures, but in rich and dramatic colors, flat on the page, and often with the native flora and fauna somewhere in the backdrop. Gold leaf overlays and tooling were common as were floral borders, while the Virgin Mary, archangels, and saints were usually the stars of their paintings.

Walk into any Cusco area church or cathedral built during the Spanish Colonial era and you’ll likely spot a mural or painting from The Cusco School adorning its columns, altar, and arcades. The largest collection, however, can be found within the Cusco Cathedral that towers over the Plaza de Armas. The Inca Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art also house quite a few original Cusco School pieces.

(Source: Kuoda Travel)