Cave art
Fabulous civilizations succeeded one another on Chilean soil long before the arrival of the conquistadors: Mayas, Aztecs, Incas and many other vanished peoples left vestiges that continue to impress us. Northern Chile offers a number of exhibition sites. In the Atacama Desert, 16 km from Huara, you'll find the world's highest concentration of ground-level motifs. The origin and significance of these geoglyphs remain shrouded in mystery. Of particular note is the Atacama Giant, an 86-metre-high sculpted man wearing a feline mask and adorned with feathers, probably a chief or god. Dated to the year 1000, it is surrounded by representations in positive (formed by piles of stones) or negative (hollowed out). The San Miguel de Azapa archaeological museum has an open-air park dedicated to petroglyphs. A particular style of rock painting, Taira-Tulan, is found in the Atacama region. This technique, used between 800 BC and 400 BC, clearly depicts fully-colored human or animal figures in profile. On some camelids, transparency effects can be seen. In the heart of the capital, the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art houses the largest collection of artifacts produced before the Spanish invasion. Millennia of history are traced through dozens of Inca objects, the last and most important of pre-Columbian civilizations.
Colonial art and independence
Indigenous art was literally swept away by the Catholics. During the evangelizing missions, colonial art dominated from 1598 to 1810.
The Spanish Jesuits quickly dictated the codes, which were applied by artisans with no real training. As the aim of colonial art was to convert to the Catholic faith, technical mastery was not considered essential. Mannerist and Baroque features, particularly chiaroscuro, were combined with local manners. At the head of the Quito School, or Escuela Quiteña, founded by the Franciscan friars, Miguel de Santiago was recognized as the most talented painter of his time.
After independence in 1818, a purely imitative "republican" art form emerged. National painters worked on commission to adorn museums and were paid to paint portraits of aristocratic families. At the same time, there was a wave of traveling artists. Coming from all over the world, each with a different style, they brought with them their own particularities. Among them, the folk scenes of Manuel Antonio Caro and Mauricio Rugendas, the portraits of Raymond Monvoisin and the animals of Claudio Gay left their mark. Art began to be appreciated for its aesthetic value. On the heights of Cerro Alegre, the Valparaiso Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, housed in the Palacio Baburizza, presents paintings by foreign and Chilean artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
New life
At the beginning of the 20th century, artists banded together and gave new impetus to Chilean painting. This was the case of the so-called 1913 generation, which included painters such as Pedro Luna, Agustín Abarca, Beatrix, Judith Alpi, the Lobos brothers and others. This was Chile's first true artistic movement. Their paintings resemble an advanced, late form of French Impressionism, blended with Chilean specificities.
In the 1920s, a collective of Chilean painters was active in Paris. This was the Grupo Montparnasse (1923-1930), which escaped the straitjacket of figurative painting to express itself freely. Created in 1922 in Santiago, this group was formed around Chilean artists who frequented the artistic milieu of the Montparnasse district in Paris at the beginning of the last century. A reference point for artistic and avant-garde movements, Paris, and more specifically the Montparnasse district, was revolutionizing the field of art at the time, offering a less cloistered vision than the naturalistic traditions. All the world's nationalities came here to experiment with new forms of artistic expression. Grupo Montparnasse, founded by painter Luis Vargas Rosa, and its "montparnassianos" made their first public appearance at an exhibition held at the Rivas and Calvo auction house. Their proposals contrasted with the official artistic conceptions of the time. The movement was enriched by contact with artists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Cézanne, who were experimenting with contemporary trends such as cubism and expressionism. Their modern art aroused controversy and attracted new followers. Among them was Álvaro Yáñez, known by his pseudonym Jean Emar, who helped spread the work of Grupo Montparnasse through the pages of the daily newspaper La Nación. This new expression of artistic form profoundly marked the standards of South American painting.
More recently
Nemeso Antúnez and Roberto Matta are probably the most internationally recognized Chilean artists.
Today, a painter like Gonzalo Ilabaca, who lives in Valparaíso, receives rave reviews and the approval of a public of connoisseurs. A veritable "urban chronicler" of everyday life, he paints the details of the great port, its characters, its nooks and crannies, its legends, in a kind of most seductive neo-expressionism. Another important figure at the turn of the century was French artist Thierry Defert, better known as Loro Coirón. His engravings of Valparaíso (its markets, its people, its slices of life) are reproduced on postcards. Loro produced a masterpiece at the Valparaíso Congress.
Several photographers propose original approaches. Guy Wenborne has been flying over his country in a Cessna 182 for twenty-five years. At an altitude of 6,500 m, firmly attached to a harness, in temperatures of -25°C, he delivers superb images reminiscent of those of Yann Arthus Bertrand. His images of glaciers, volcanoes, deserts and mines reveal a Chile that is infinite, tortured, barbaric and baroque. A Chile of contrasts, opposites and disproportions.
The most famous Chilean photographer, however, is Sergio Larrain, born in Santiago in 1931. He joined Magnum with Cartier-Bresson in 1959, and collaborated with Pablo Neruda on a book about the poet's house in Isla Negra. Don't miss his superb shots immortalizing the legend of Valparaíso.
Rodrigo Opazo's work is also worth a look, as he aims to capture "those territories that have not yet been swallowed up, where human beings retain a particular identity and where traditions are still read". Opazo has photographed the Chilean religious faith in Chiloé, for example, during the feasts of Jesus of Nazareth, between August 28 and 30 and the third Sunday in January, on Cauhach Island, in La Tirana, in Andacollo.
Last but not least, we should mention the photographer-anthropologist Paz Errázuriz, whose photographs of women's odd jobs (guarding public toilets, collecting sea coal residues, selling plastic bags, etc.) are imbued with a tragic humanity. Photographic art is promoted by the country's art centers and galleries, with a concentration in Valparaiso. Since 2004, the Sala de Arte Wenteche Valparaiso has championed this art of excellence. Photography, drawing, engraving, painting and sculpture are all on show. Over 400 Chilean and Latin American artists have passed through its halls since it was founded. Another address is Galería Bahía Utópica, which specializes in contemporary art and promotes Valparaíso's resident artists. Painting, drawing, sculpture and photography, of all origins, have their place here.
Street art
When it comes to street art, Chile is a forerunner. In this field, Santiago is full of surprises. A street art tour is also an opportunity to discover a city too often overshadowed by its big sister. Two districts stand out, the first of which is best visited during the day, with several people. In Barrio Brasil, wild street art enlivens the walls. In which streets? Calle Compañía de Jesús, Calle Catedral, Calle Santo Domingo and their surroundings. However, caution is advised here. In the evening, head for Barrio Bellavista, a district that comes alive at night. East of the Vega Central and Tirso de Molena markets, shopkeepers have lent their iron curtains to the artists. A few landmarks: Calle Bombero Nuñez, Calle Santa Filomena, Calle Dardignac, Calle Antonia López de Bello, Calle Lorato.
All right, "Valpa" is the queen of street art. We're in the middle of an artistic hot spot. Not a street, not a crossroads without drawings, collages and graffiti. A pioneer of its kind, Valparaiso's Museo a cielo abierto features twenty murals on the slopes of the cerro Bellavista. Opened in 1992, this venue brings together a wide variety of styles. South American artists include the surrealist Roberto Matta (1911-2002), who is also an architect, poet and sculptor, the geometric art of Cuban Mario Carreño Morales (1913-1999) and the surrealist Santiago Rodolfo Opazo (1935-2019). Over the past 20 years, the city has chosen to channel these explosions of creativity. For the record, street art emerged in Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship, as a means of exalting protest movements. This mode of expression is now supported by the government through official commissions. Inti is one of the best-known of these South American muralists. Born in Valparaiso, he combines roller paint and aerosol to create frescoes in Chile (also in Santiago), Colombia, Honolulu, Paris and Mulhouse, Belgium, Norway, Sweden... enough to make your head spin! Where does his pseudonym come from? Inti is an Inca sun divinity honored by all indigenous peoples. A nice nod to his origins!
