Art in Cusco

Walking through the streets of Cusco you will see many different people walking around with large folders, attempting to sell original art for the price of "almost free". However, if you pay attention, it quickly becomes clear that there is no way for all of this paintings to be original works, as each vendor is attempting to sell the exact same paintings. Before I came to Peru I knew I wanted to purchase a painting to remind me of my experiences here, but I also knew that I wanted a one of a kind piece, which apparently would be harder to find than I had thought.

While there are so many different types of art that one can buy in Cusco, I knew I wanted a painting, as my family has a tradition of decorating our house with paintings from everywhere that we have traveled. While the embroidery and weavings and mirrors are all stunning and represent Peruvian culture, I was hesitant to buy one of them as I didn't have any personal memories attached to these pieces.

After multiple days of walking around and looking in various galleries and through many portfolios, I was finally able to find what I was looking for.  Slightly off of Calle Choquechaca was a small one room store, with a sign proclaiming "modern art". Inside, the walls were covered with different paintings, both abstract in style and in the more traditional style, depicting angels with guns. The best part of this small store was that we had the opportunity to talk to the artist about her work, and although she didn't speak English we learned that her abstract paintings were inspired by Incan cave paintings, and others were inspired by interactions between people in the streets of Cusco.

After speaking with the artist and watching her as she worked on a new painting, I knew I wanted to purchase something from her store. She pointed out a painting she had done of the street that leads to Plaza de Armas from our hotel, which I fell in love with. I am so glad that we stumbled upon this gem of a store, and even more glad that I now have a piece of artwork that will forever remind me of this trip and my experiences in Cusco.