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TheQuito School (Escuela Quiteña) is aLatin American colonial artistic tradition that constitutes essentially the whole of the professional artistic output developed in the territory of theRoyal Audience of Quito – fromPasto andPopayán in the north toPiura andCajamarca in the south – during theSpanish colonial period (1542–1824).[1] It is especially associated with the 17th and 18th centuries and was almost exclusively focused on the religious art of theCatholic Church in the country.[2] Characterized by a mastery of the realistic and by the degree to which indigenous beliefs and artistic traditions are evident, these productions were among of the most important activities in the economy of the Royal Audience of Quito.[3] Such was the prestige of the movement even in Europe that it was said thatKing Carlos III of Spain (1716–1788), referring to one of its sculptors in particular, opined: "I am not concerned that Italy hasMichelangelo; in my colonies of America I have the masterCaspicara".[4]
The Quito School originated in the school of Artes y Oficios, founded in 1552 by the Franciscan priestJodoco Ricke, who together with FriarPedro Bedón transformed the San Andrés seminary, where the first indigenous artists were trained. As a cultural expression, it is the result of a long process of acculturation between indigenous peoples and Europeans, and it is one of the richest expressions ofmiscegenation (mestizaje) and ofsyncretism, in which the participation of the vanquished Indian is seemingly of minor importance as compared to the dominant European contribution.[5]
As a product of culturalsyncretism andmiscegenation, the works of the Quito School are characterized by the combination and adaptation of European and Indigenous features. In its development, it reflected the styles prevailing in each period of Spain and thus containsrenaissance andmannerist elements. During its height, it was eminentlybaroque, concluding with a shortrococo period leading to an incipientneoclassicism until the transition to therepublican period. The Quito School also incorporatedFlemish,Italian, andMoorish influences.
One of the common characteristics of the school is the technique ofencarnado ("flesh-colored") — the simulation of the color of the flesh of the (European) human body — that makes the skin of sculptures appear more natural. Once the piece was perfectly cut and sanded, an artisan covered the wood with several layers ofgesso with glue. Each layer was highly polished to achieve a perfectly smooth finish. Next, color was applied in various transparent layers, allowing an optical mix of overlapping colors. This began with the colors of shadows (blue, green, ocher), then light colors were applied (white, pink, yellow). and finally highlight colors were added (orange and red to cheeks, knees, and elbows of children; and dark blue, green, and violet for wounds and bruises of Christ or for stubble on a beardless figure).
Other typical characteristics include:
The features indicating its indigenous roots include:
![Close-up view of “St. Joseph's Workshop” by Manuel de Samaniego. Oil on canvas, 51 x 69.4 cm, 18th century. Quito, Ecuador. MUNA.[6]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTaller_de_San_Jos%25C3%25A9_(Miguel_de_Samaniego)_-_Siglo_XVIII.JPG)
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