José Gil de Castro y Morales (1785-1841)

• Was an Afro-Peruvian portrait painter, cartographer and soldier.
• José Gil de Castro was born in Lima; his parents were free citizens.
• His first studies were with Julián Jayo in Trujillo while he was stationed in Lima as an officer in the colonial militia.
• When he returned to Lima he was apprenticed to José del Pozo.
• Between 1805 and 1808, he moved to Chile, where he opened a studio and established his reputation as a portrait painter.
• He was familiarly known as "El Mulato Gil".
• In 1816, he was appointed Grand Master of the Guild of Painters.
• That same year, he enlisted in the Army of the Andes and was appointed an officer in the Corps of Engineers.
• He was placed in charge of making maps.
• In 1817, he was married in Santiago and became a Captain in the Rifle Battalion.
• He travelled extensively throughout Chile and Argentina, working on commissions from notable public figures.
• In 1820, he became a cartographer for the new Chilean government, but returned to Peru, probably in 1825, and was appointed an official government painter.
• His date and place of death are unknown.
• Next