Marcos Zapata

Marcos Zapata(c. 1710–1773), also calledMarcos Sapaca Inca, was aPeruvianpainter, known for combining Christian stories with indigenous culture. The most famous example beingThe Last Supper(c.1753), which represents the famous New Testament story, but with the incorporation ofAndeanfoods such asCuy.He studied and later taught with theCuzco Schoolwhere he had a workshop with multiple apprentices working to produce vast amount of paintings.The themes are primarily Christian subjects meant for churches in Peru and Chile.
Zapata was born inCuzco. He was one of the last members of theCuzco School, an art center in which Spanish painters taught native students to paint religious works. In the Andean culture of Peru, Cuzco painters merged Christian symbols with indigenous Andean traditions.Zapata introduced elements from his own lands into his paintings. For instance, his 1753 rendering of theLast Suppershows Jesus and his twelve disciples gathering around a table laid withguinea pigand glasses ofchicha.Guinea pigs, native to Peru and a culinary delicacy, play a significant role inAndean culture. They are used in Inca festivals as sacrificial animals, much like how lambs are used in traditional Christian ceremonies.In the painting, traditional elements like bread and ceremonial cups are joined by native foods such as potato,rocoto relleno, and corn. The blending of Andean culinary tradition with Christianity is a common theme in Cuzco paintings, especially as the painting's background features Christ on the Cross and Mary figures.
Between 1748 and 1764, Zapata painted at least 200 works. 24 of them portrayed the life of SaintFrancis of Assisifor theOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinofSantiago, Chile. He painted 50 linen cloths with the Laurentina Litany for theCathedral of Santo Domingo, Cusco. Red and blue were prominent colors in his palette.
His influential style developed between 1748 and 1773; The themes are primarily Christian subjects meant for churches in Peru and Chile.He is known for his beautiful portraits of the Virgin Mary, almost always surrounded bycherubim. Zapata incorporated allegorical subjects in his Madonnas.Christoph Thomas Schefflerwrote in 1732, that the painter was inspired by prints of the subject. His compositions are didactic, with a relatively simple reading of complex theological concepts.
By order of the Jesuits, Zapata created another similar series of painting, assisted by his apprentice, Cipriano Gutiérrez. These included an enthroned Virgin, which Zapata finished in 1764 for the Parish of theAlmudena. His majestic representation enjoyed enormous acceptance, judging by the large numbers of copies and variants that circulated in throughout the region. The fame of Zapata widely extended the limits of Cuzco, and its sphere of influence extended through Peru, Chile, and northern Argentina. The art of this teacher was continued in later decades by several of his followers, including Antonio Vilca and Ignacio Chacón.
The Cuzco School is part of an art movement in the seventeenth century  a type of art that is the mixture and influence of Spanish and Peruvian culture. The Cuzco School within this set was meant to describe a set of artists, guilds and workshops that all produced this type of artwork stemming fromCuzco.What made it stand out was the vast amount of work that was produced under the names of those were associated with it.Marcos Zapata was in said to be charge during the late eighteenth century.
Currently in theCuzco Cathedral, it is a large oil painting that is attributed to Marcos Zapata.It differs from other depictions of the last supper by including food on the table that is common in Andean culture. On the table sits aviscacha; significant in Andean culture for the role they play as a sacrificial animal. Along with the wine instead being a fermented alcohol known aschicha. Combining aspects of both native culture and European religion was used to create a unique connection for the natives of the region to the new ideas that were being brought in.
188.5 x 155.5 cm, Painted by Zapata with oil on canvas. Commissioned by Alexo and Bernardo García to celebrate their graduation from University of San Antonio Abad. Portraits that reuse a composition to another of Zapata's pieces.
188 x 50 cm, oil painting that is credited to Marcos Zapata and his workshop. This painting is another example of Christian stories and beliefs infused with Peruvian detail; such as the animals in the background meant to resemble more native creatures to Peru along with gold decoration on items such as cloth.This work was sold at action from June third to June fourth of 2014.
207 x 166 cm, oil painting attributed to Marcos Zapata. Notable for it use ofVermillionpigments, uncommon at the time due to the materials used to mix it being rare.
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