Description
Stone carving occurred in Peru, since the beginning of the colonial period. The raw material used is alabaster or Huamanga stone, a stone similar to marble, but softer and more translucent. The province of Huamanga in the Ayacucho region is the place where the best quarries are located and that is why it owes its name. During the viceroyalty, in the 17th century and in the first half of the 18th century, Ayacucho stood out for its fine work in carvings of religious figures, whether in bulk or relief. The viceregal stone production of Huamanga is related to styles that come from Spanish wood sculpture, and deals with themes alluding to the lives of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the saints, as well as passages from the Old Testament.
. Thus, the stone carving of Huamanga was originally given under colonial canons that respond to the dominant art, therefore it was studied within the history of cultured art, art that represents the elite and was the taste of political and religious power.
Today, the more than one hundred (100) Ayacucho master stone carvers of Huamanga are consolidated in their craft and producing in their workshops, some of them well supplied and implemented with traditional and modern tools. The workshops have disciples and have become centers for the transmission of knowledge, knowledge and techniques associated with this art and stone carving of Huamanga constitutes today, as it was in the past, a means of life and a cultural expression for its craftsmen and their families.
The current techniques of the process of making a piece of sculpture in Huamanga stone (alabaster), whatever its character or image, some of the steps to follow are common to all sculptors; others obey special conditions, the character and hardness of the material, the destination of the piece, the comfort, method and technique of the craftsman. The most important stages of the process of making a piece of sculpture in Huamanga stone (alabaster) are: i) The collection of lithic material; ii) storage of the material in the workshop; iii) The cutting of the base, the motivation, creation and design of the image; and iv) The making of the sculpture.
The Huamanga stone exists in various purity qualities, the most appreciated is the white one, due to its similarity to glass and its translucency. Some veins have different colors such as jet black, lead, reddish. The artisans go to the quarries on the banks of the Pampas River, such as Chaccolla, Canchacancha and Pomabamba in the province of Cangallo and Pujas in the province of Vilcashuaman. The quarries are managed by producer communities where many community members are artisans.
The motivation, creation and design of the image is crucial for sculptors, it is by looking at the stone, which inspires them to sculpt, everything depends on what the stone commands and the imagination of the artisan, who first goes out to the field to see the facts, a party, a job, a musician, a dancer, the life of the peasants, the stone is what makes them dream and that is what they create. Each artisan has his own creation mechanism and is closely linked to the national reality and the raw materials with which he works. Only in the case of abstract structures does imagination play a predominant role because it is myths, stories and narratives that influence this type of creation.
Some use modern equipment such as hammers, tires and drills, while others use traditional tools such as chisels, chisels, rubber hammers, wooden mallets, chisels, among others. However, beyond the tools used to achieve originality and quality of the sculpture, the inspiration of the craftsman takes precedence.
The pieces produced mainly cover the following themes a) Religious art, images of virgins and saints among others b) Representations of peasant life and customs, with scenes of festivities and representation of characters characteristic of Ayacucho life c) utilitarian and/or decorative pieces such as fountains, vases, chests, among others and recently an interesting line of modern sculpture
EnglishHuamanga stone carving
Stone carving has been practiced in Peru since the beginning of the colonial period. The raw material used is alabaster or Huamanga stone, similar to marble, but softer and more translucent. The province of Huamanga in the Ayacucho region is the place where the best quarries can be found, hence its name.
During the viceroyalty, in the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, Ayacucho stood out for its fine carvings of religious figures in relief. The viceroyalty's production is related to styles that come from Spanish wood carving, and deals with themes alluding to the lives of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the saints, as well as passages from the Old Testament. Thus the carving was originally given under the colonial canons that responded to the dominant art and therefore was studied within the history of cult art, art that represents the elite and was the taste of the political and religious power.
Today, more than one hundred master carvers are well established in their craft and producing in their workshops, some of which are well stocked and equipped with traditional and modern tools. The workshops have disciples and have become centers for the transmission of the knowledge, skills and techniques associated with this art today, as it was in the past, a means of livelihood and cultural expression for its makers and their families. The current techniques of the process are traditional and others are due to special conditions, the character and hardness of the material, the purpose of the piece, and the comfort, method and technique of the craftsman.
The most important stages of the elaboration process are 1) The collection of the lithic material; 2) the storage of the material in the workshop; 3) The cutting of the base, the motivation, creation and design of the image; and 4) The elaboration of the sculpture. Huamanga stone exists in various qualities of purity, the most appreciated being white, due to its similarity to glass and its translucency. Some veins present different colorings such as jet black, lead, and reddish. The artisans go to the quarries on the banks of the Pampas river, such as Chaccolla, Canchacancha and Pomabamba in the province of Cangallo and Pujas in the province of Vilcashuaman.
The motivation, creation and design of the image and everything depends on what the stone and the imagination command, who first goes out to the field to see the facts, a party, a work, a musician, a dancer, the life of the peasants, the stone is what makes them dream and that is what they elaborate. Each craftsman has his own mechanism of creation and only in the case of abstract structures does imagination play a preponderant role because it is myths, stories and narratives that influence this type of creation.
Some use modern equipment such as hammers, tires and drills, while others make use of traditional tools such as chisels, burins, rubber hammers, and wooden mallets, among others. The pieces produced mainly cover the following themes a) Religious art, images of virgins and saints among others b) Representations of peasant life and customs, with scenes of festivities and characters characteristic of Ayacucho life c) Utilitarian and/or decorative pieces such as fountains, vases, chests, among others, and recently an interesting line of modern sculpture.
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