Ecuador's Rich Art And Craft: An Overview

Indigenous artists who were trained by the Spanish to produce colonial religious art have decorated churches and museums in Ecuador – the 19th century Republican period produced art characterized by formalism. The indigenous school developed in the 20th century and it highlights the burdens of Ecuador’s original inhabitants. Important artists like Eduardo Kingman, Endara Crow have works in galleries and museums in Quito. Egas (1889-1962) and Guayasamin (born 1919) have museums in their own homes. The Quito Style influences some of the churches in the country and others display a strong Moorish style---overpoweringly ornamental, cloyingly rich—baroque. Music, especially Andean, has a far away haunting sound. Most traditional music is a blend of Spanish and Columbian strains. Visit a pena, or folk music club, to feel this magic.