The paintings of Peruvian artist, Clorinda Chavez Galdos Bell are currently on display at Columbia State Community College’s Pryor Art Gallery.
A Peru native, Bell paints in a style unique to her birth city of Cuzco. She is the fifth of eight children and began painting at the age of 11. Bell participated in what was traditionally a masculine art, winning over her brothers with her talent and becoming one of the first women to work in this genre of painting. Her relatives on both sides have carried on this style of painting for generations, and she grew up watching her father and brothers create wonderfully intricate communal canvases in the family workshop. She later studied at the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, earning a bachelor’s degree in education for literature. She now lives in Powell, Tennessee with her husband Aaron.
“Clorinda’s paintings of Catholic iconography are both unique and expressive, but they are not often seen today,” said Rusty Summerville, Pryor Gallery curator. “Her works are reminiscent of the 16th century art introduced to Cuzco, Peru, by Italian artist and Jesuit monk, Bernando Bitti.”
The Pryor Gallery is located in the Waymon L. Hickman building on the Columbia campus. The gallery is open and free to the public Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/PryorGallery for additional information.
Pictured above: Bell’s painting titled “Escape to Egypt”
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