April 26, 2016
Peruvian artist Victor Gutierrez to present on his art, retablos and life
Victor Huáman Gutiérrez will lecture on his life, his retablos and his life in Peru, April 26-28, in 118 Bluemont Hall. Gutiérrez will present three lecture-workshops from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26; 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27; and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28. Gutiérrez is an award-winning retablista from Peru.
After seeing his first retablo at the age of 9, Gutiérrez dedicated himself to this traditional art form. His themes include regional festivals and cultural moments in the native Quechua villages in the central highlands of Peru. Gutiérrez manually creates all of his work, from crafting the boxes to shaping the figures by hand using a traditional mixture of flour, gypsum and water. He even makes the paint brushes from his own hair or that of the dog, burro or cat.
Gutiérrez has won several national prizes in Peru and his work appears in various museums in Lima, Peru. He lives with his elderly parents, who taught him this art, and supports them with his earnings from his work as a retablista.