2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Church Decoration in South America of the Colonial Period
| Project/Area Number |
12571003
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Fine art history
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| Research Institution | University of Fukui |
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Principal Investigator |
OKADA Hiroshige Fukui University, Faculty of Education and Regional Studies, Associate Professor, 教育地域科学部, 助教授 (00243741)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KATO Kaoru Kanagawa University, Faculty of Management, Professor, 経営学部, 教授 (40291968)
SAITO akira National Museum of Ethnology, Research Fellow, 助手 (20290926)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2002
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| Keywords | Colonial Art / Andes / Spain / christian Art / Peru / Bolivia / Paraguay |
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| Research Abstract |
We carried out a research project of three years from 2000 to 2003 mainly in the southern Andean highlands. One of our purposes was the total and systematic photo-documentation which would illustrate in detail the decoration program of Andean colonial churches. Beginning with Cuzco (Peru), we followed the route to Potosi (Bolivia). We visited 116 places and 158 churches, mostly located in the remote areas of the highlands or the valleys. Moreover, in the progress of the project, our field research extended to the Chiquitano region (Bolivia), Paraguay, and the north of Argentina where some Jesuit mission churches and ruins are preserved. Our photo-documentation consists of numerous images of the interior decoration of the churches such as altarpieces, artesonado (coffered ceiling), mural paintings, etc, not to speak of the exterior architectural elements like so-called "mestizo" style facade. The total number of the photographs is more than 15,000.
Our collection of photographs will be an important basis for the development of a more systematic research on colonial imagery, which will bring to light some new aspects of Andean colonial culture. We are now demontrating that the influential concept of "mestizo" art, for example, should be reconsidered because numerous visual facts on the church decoration show that the dynamics and complexity of colonial art depend rather on the socio-cultural factors than on the simple mixture of European and Native American traditions.
On the other hand, we are conscious of the importance of action-taking for the preservation of the colonial churches. We carried out preliminary technical inspections with a view for the future restoration of two parish churches in Potosi : Copacabana and San Benito.
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