Peruvian indigenist artist Julia Manuela Codesido Estenós (or simply Julia Codesido) was not only a painter, printmaker, and educator but also – starting in the first decades of the 20th century – a feminist activist. Committed to Indigenism and informed by the frequent trips she took to all corners of her native Peru, Codesido developed a unique pictorial language that redefined national identity by embracing its native roots. In her work, the artist not only explored Peruvian identity but also reworked the figure of woman. A feminist activist, Codesido was a member of a number of groups in the early 1920s that defended women’s rights in both the private and public spheres. Painted in vibrant colours, Vendedora ayacuchana (1927) depicts a barefoot woman wrapped in a typical Peruvian blanket. Her features are striking and the look in her eye profound. This work, like all of Codesido’s production from this period, reflected her interest in the aesthetic and sensibility of the Andes. The unidentified woman with muted earth skin tones is seated with her legs tucked underneath her, wearing a dark-colored shawl with vertical stripes of red and green over a purple garment. Her expression is somewhat serious. Her long, dark hair is parted down the middle and falls straight. Codesido was the daughter of a diplomat who was appointed consul of Peru in Liverpool in 1908 and later held the same position in Bordeaux in 1913. She was able to travel and train for several years in Europe, residing in Switzerland, Spain, England and France. In 1918, Codesido returned to her Lima and entered the National School of Fine Arts of Peru (today National Autonomous School of Fine Arts of Peru) where she was a student of the indigenous painter José Sabogal. There, she befriended other women artists such as the engraver Elena Izcue, the painter Teresa Carvallo, and the sculptor Carmen Saco. By the 1930s, Codesido had exhibitions in Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, and Paris.
"Vendedora ayacuchana" by Julia Codesido (Peruvian) - Oil on canvas / c. 1927 - Museo de Arte de Lima (Peru) #WomenInArt #WomanArtist #PortraitofaWoman #FemaleArtist #art #JuliaCodesido #Codesido #MuseodeArtedeLima #OilPainting #WomensArt #PeruvianArt #PeruvianArtist #Indigenism #ArtText #FineArt