In the 19th century, the landscape of the Río de la Plata region held a fascinating allure for the numerous traveling artists who ventured deep into these parts of the country. Several painters traveled around Argentina, later depicting in paintings the landscapes and local customs that they had encountered on their journeys.
Their paintings, which have survived to the present day, are authentic records of urban and rural scenes, showing us what life was like in a burgeoning nation that was in the process of creating its own identity. They depict rural life with its gauchos, country women, and ranchers, the infinite landscape of the pampas, and a way of life that revolved around ranches and country stores.
Día de Elecciones en el Norte (1937) by Alfredo GRAMAJO GUTIERREZGustar
Life in the north
The artist Alfredo Gramajo Gutiérrez, born in Tucumán in 1893, painted detailed works of art based on his own memories. This oil painting, painted in 1937 and entitled Election Day in the North (Día de Elecciones en el Norte), demonstrates the power of the artist’s gaze in taking in his surroundings.
In addition to showing the viewer an election day in the northeast of Argentina, the painting also captures the traditions of the period. For example, in the center of the image, a group of men share a gourd of maté while counting the votes.
The obligatory empanadas are there too: traditional savory pies that are a mainstay of the nation’s gastronomy, and whose fillings vary by region. They are washed down with wine, served from a demijohn.
The butcher
In the province of Entre Ríos, the Argentinian artist Bernaldo de Quirós painted individuals such as butchers, who were central to the nation’s supply of meat. This tradition originated in the late 16th century, when the Spanish brought the first cows with them. The cow is still a symbol of Argentina.
Un alto en el campo (1861) by Prilidiano PUEYRREDONGustar
The infinite landscape of the pampas
The painter, architect, and town planner Prilidiano Pueyrredón was one of Argentina’s most important artists in the mid-19th century. In his landscapes and scenes of everyday life, he depicted the gaucho of the rural Pampas region along with a wide variety of 19th-century rural traditions.
This painting, entitled A Stop in a Field (Un Alto en el Campo) shows a middle-class family on a typical outing in a wagon pulled by oxen. The men are wearing traditional clothing known in Spanish as pilchas criollas, with boots, neckerchiefs, and top hats. The women are dressed in the clothing that was fashionable in Europe, with full skirted dresses and underskirts.
Rest stops were essential on long wagon journeys. These stops took place in country stores, which were built from mud and straw around a framework of canes or wood. The ombú, a native tree that grows on the hills of northeastern Argentina, provided shade and shelter along the way.
A gathering of women
In the oil painting Fried Food and Cakes (Fritos y Pasteles), also by Bernaldo de Quirós, the artist paints two items that were traditional fare at that time: the drink known as maté, and pastelitos fritos, a type of deep-fried sweet pastry. The women’s features suggest that they are of indigenous descent.
The pastries, made with flour and filled with jellied fruit, are sweet treats that were commonly eaten at the time. As can be seen in the picture, they were fried in a large pan filled with hot oil, and then placed in a bowl with a cloth, to drain away some of the oil and cool down.
El asado (1871) by Ignacio MANZONIGustar
The gaucho
Born in Italy, the artist Ignacio Manzoni traveled around Buenos Aires and several cities in the Americas, painting what he saw along the way. In his painting The Roast (El Asado), painted in 1871, the central figure is a rural Argentinian gaucho, roasting an animal to eat and drinking maté.
Skilled knifemen
Gauchos were highly skilled knifemen. They made knives from materials that they found while on the road. They were used as weapons for self-defense, as well as tools for daily life, such as for skinning animals or cutting cooked meat.
La Mazamorra
The artist Fernando Fader was born in France in 1882 but raised in Mendoza, Argentina. His work, La Mazamorra, alludes to a traditional dessert of the same name, which was popular during the colonial era. The main ingredient is dried corn, which is cooked in milk with water, sugar, and vanilla added to it.
The famous country stores
The artist Jean León Palliere, of French descent, settled in Buenos Aires in around 1855. His painting, Inside a Country Store (Interior de una Pulpería) Inside a Country Store, shows how these establishments were central to people’s social lives in rural Argentina, as venues for drinking alcohol and maté, and playing cards.
The store keeper ran the store and would often read the newspaper to his customers. Frequented by both local and traveling gauchos, these country stores were the ideal place to sit down and find out what was happening elsewhere in the country.
National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina (https://www.bellasartes.gob.ar/)
