Share Link:

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
3:30 – 5:30 pm
Retablo-making workshop with Claudio Jiménez Quispe.

Thursday, October 27, 2011
6:30 -8:30 p.m.

Conversation with and exhibit of Peruvian Retablos by Claudio Jiménez Quispe, celebrated and world-renowned Peruvian retablista. Photographs of Ayacucho and poems by Monique Pineda. Retablos will be for sale and Peruvian food and drinks will be provided.
In collaboration with the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University and the House of Peru in Balboa Park. Special thanks to Professor Sharon Taylor.

Retablos originated as altarpieces in eighteenth-century Catholic churches, but are no longer purely religious and have become a distinctly Peruvian art form. Retablos incorporate several artistic elements, and are typically formed by a painted and carved wooden backdrop with panels hinged and folded as in a triptych. Individual statuettes adorn the foreground in a scene that tells a story. Each retablo can take between two and four weeks to complete.

The best retablos come from Ayacucho, and it was in the small, neighboring town of Alccamenca that Claudio Jiménez Quispe was born onto a long line of retablistas. He began learning the art at his father don Florentino's side, at the age of six, producing his own pieces at the age of 12.

Claudio and his family moved to Lima in 1989 yet are deeply tied to their home region, preferring to speak Quechua at home. Claudio’s retablos often include scenes typical of Ayacucho, drawing inspiration from history and his people's traditions and legends. He adds his own twist to pieces ranging thematically from old-fashioned religious scenes to fanciful portrayals of life in the Sierra and depicting childhood acquaintances and mythic figures and monsters, many of his own creation. Claudio studied fine arts and anthropology at university level in Ayacucho (then known as Huamanga), eventually completing a degree in mathematics education, but he is devoted completely to his art.

Of his formal education, he remarks “I think knowledge of anthropology is essential to my work, which explores how the people live and how their daily lives are affected by their stories and folk beliefs.”

Claudio's retablos have been exhibited throughout Peru and South America as well as in the United States, Mexico, Spain and Israel. For them Claudio has won several awards and distinctions. They have inspired a number of scholarly monographs and a documentary shown on the Discovery Channel. In 2006 Claudio won a prize offered by the Spanish Embassy in the U.S. to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha for the best artistic representation of Don Quijote.

Claudio's studio and workshop, known as La Voz del Retablo, is located in Zárate, the area of San Juan de Lurigancho closest to the center of Lima.