José Gil de Castro

José Gil de Castro y Morales (1 September 1785 – c. 1840/41) was an Afro-Peruvian portrait painter, cartographer and soldier who spent many years in Chile.

[1] He also built a house in the Barrio Lastarria and was named one of the first members of the Legion of Merit of Chile.

Thanks to his reputation as a portrait painter, he travelled extensively throughout Chile and Argentina, working on commissions from notable public figures.

A distinguishing characteristic of his work is the text relating to his subject, placed on a banner, plaque or other device, that he included on many of his canvases.

One of his most notable portraits, and one of the few that does not depict a member of the upper classes, is the one of José Olaya, a fisherman who became a hero of the Peruvian War of Independence.