In this article, Mercedes Gallagher de Parks reviews two exhibitions in Lima: one consisting of works by the Indigenist painter Camilo Blas (at the Instituto Bach); the other a collection of works by the English painter Fred Stratton (at the Sociedad Filarmónica). She also discusses Peruvian native art. In her opinion, rather than singing the praises of the indigenous population, the ideological influences of this style of painting conspire to denigrate it. Camilo Blas, she notes, illustrates Peruvian Indians in their natural state. In her opinion, the ideological chain links clearly connect Moscow, Berlin, and Mexico. In her review of Blas’ works, Gallagher de Parks states that the ideological influence obscures the actual value of the painting, both in his portraits (Indiecita de la lliclla amarilla) and in his landscapes that distort reality and are more sentimental than sarcastic. With regard to Stratton’s exhibition, the reviewer sees it as being diametrically opposed to Blas’ works, since the English artist’s paintings express “the horrors” of Lima [Salazar Bondy dixit] and its roofs. She prefers the foreign perspective to the local sarcasm.

The author of this article, Mercedes Gallagher, wrote reviews about Peruvian art and music, which she contributed to publications such as Mundial, Variedades, Social, Mercurio Peruano, and La Prensa. She also published important essays in which she analyzed different aspects of art, such as "Shadows on the Road" (1935), "La realidad y el arte. Estudio de estética moderna" (1937), "La escultura popular y costumbrista en piedra de Huamanga" (1942), and "La mentira Azul" (a compilation of her essays from 1948). Her critical opposition to Indigenism is clear in several of her articles, this one in particular: “Sobre el problema indigenista en nuestra cultura” (Mercurio Peruano, Lima, October 1939). Gallagher acknowledged the need for and legitimacy of the movement to recognize the indigenous population, but criticized its use of the idea as the basis for a group ideology and a way to promote racial division in the country. She posited that Peru consists of three components, which must all complement each other: Aryan-Western civilization, Spanish cultural tradition, and indigenous spiritual awareness. In the field of painting, Gallagher pointed to an affected, ideological snobbism that sought to imitate artists such as Diego Rivera, Cézanne, van Gogh, and the European avant-garde. She believed these should all be ignored by Peruvian painters if they really wanted to create a truly Peruvian art. Indigenist painting flourished in Peru from the 1920s to the 1940s as part of a broader movement that sought to redefine Peruvian identity in terms of indigenous elements. Although at some points it was entirely focused on the “indigenous” story and the glorious Inca past that also championed a mestizo identity portrayed as a result of the integration of “native” and “Hispanic” cultures. The main ideologue and unchallenged leader of the Indigenist movement in the visual arts was José Sabogal (1888–1956), whose profound interpretation of the concept of “being rooted” was deeply influenced by regional art movements in Spain (exemplified by Ignacio Zuloaga [1870–1945], among others) and in Argentina (Jorge Bermúdez [1883–1926], to mention just one); Sabogal spent a great deal of time in these countries during his formative years. When he returned to Peru in late 1918, he settled in Cuzco where he produced about forty oil paintings of people and scenes of the city; these works were subsequently shown in Lima (1919) at an exhibition that is considered the formal beginning of Indigenist painting in Peru. Sabogal’s second solo exhibition at the Casino Español (1921), established his reputation. He joined the faculty at the new Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1920, where he was eventually appointed director (1932–43). There he trained a group of painters who joined the Indigenist movement: Julia Codesido, Alicia Bustamante (1905–1968), Teresa Carvallo (1895–1988), Enrique Camino Brent (1909–1960), and Camilo Blas (1903–1985). In the mid-1930s, a powerful movement emerged to oppose the Indigenist style—which was perceived as official and exclusive—and eventually, in 1943, Sabogal was dismissed from the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. Supporters of Indigenism viewed this move as unjust, and rallied to the painter’s defense in letters, newspaper articles, and social events. [There are many articles about this artist, including the following written by Sabogal himself: “Arquitectura peruana: la casona arequipeña (doc. no. 1173340); “La cúpula en América” (doc. no. 1125912); “Mariano Florez, artista burilador de "mates" peruanos, murió en Huancayo: José Sabogal su admirador y amigo, le rinde homenaje” (doc. no. 1136695); “Los mates burilados y las estampas del pintor criollo Pancho Fierro” (doc. no. 1173400); “Los 'mates' y el yaraví” (doc. no. 1126008); “La pintura mexicana moderna” (doc. no. 1051636); and “Sala de arte popular peruano en el Museo de la Cultura : selecciones de arte” (doc. no. 1173418)].