Diego Quispe Tito

Diego Quispe Tito (1611–1681) was a Quechua painter from Peru. He is considered the leader of the Cuzco School of painting. Despite the prevalence of European artistic influences, some painters in Cuzco were of Inca descent, infusing their art with indigenous elements. Diego Quispe Tito, adopted a distinctive style blending Italian Mannerism and Flemish painting techniques with depictions of local landscapes adorned with decorative birds. Working in a village near Cuzco, Quispe Tito developed his unique approach, exemplified in his series of paintings portraying the life of St. John the Baptist for the Church of San Sebastian in 1663.