San Martín and O'Higgins after crossing the Andes

What it is

This is an oil painting by Martín Boneo, dated 1865, titled San Martín y O'Higgins después de trasmontar los Andes. The Commons file is a sepia photograph of that painting, signed by Boneo. It shows a mounted officer in a dark uniform with a sash, pointing forward on a white horse, beside a kneeling officer with a sword. Mountains and soldiers with a flag appear behind them. Students should remember that they are looking at a photograph of a painting, not the painting itself.

Why it matters

The painting shows San Martín and O'Higgins together, two leaders of the independence struggle in the Andes campaign. Boneo painted it in 1865, almost five decades after the crossing, so it reflects how the men were remembered rather than how they acted at the time. It shows how Chilean artists shaped a shared story about the independence leaders.

Look closer

• Which figure is placed higher in the composition, and what does that suggest about how the two men are shown?
• What does the kneeling officer contribute to the drama of the scene?
• What might the painting leave out about the real events, and how would you check it against other sources?