This painting features a catholic college and its church steeple in my wife Mercedes' hometown of Santa Fe, Argentina. Her sister Cecilia used to work there so it means a lot to my in-law family.

We walked down Blvd. Galvez one sunny morning at the end of December which is summer there. The sun was shaded by the trees and the angle of the morning light placed the facade of the building in shade. The contrast of the shaded building is balanced by the bright sunlight in the trees and sky. The trees cast shadows on the sidewalk.

About this building

El edificio de estilo neogótico data del año1890 y fue completado en varias etapas. Concebido para la formación de maestras católicas ocupa una manzana completa donada para tales fines por el entonces gobernador de la provincia Dr. José Gálvez. La mayor riqueza del edificio la encontramos en la capilla diseñada por el Arq. Juan Bautista Arnaldi y en la primera construcción ubicada sobre el Boulevard Gálvez. Tipológicamente se disponen habitaciones en torno a dos patios centrales que se conectan por el patio de Cristo, nombre que toma de la imagen que lo preside. La fachada principal se organiza a partir de la capilla como centro de la composición que se completa con la fachada enriquecida por pináculos, formas ojivales, rosetones y otros elementos característicos del estilo neogótico.

(The Neo-Gothic style building dates back to 1890 and was completed in several stages. Conceived for the training of Catholic female teachers, it occupies an entire city block donated for this purpose by the then-governor of the province, Dr. José Gálvez. The building's greatest architectural highlights are the chapel—designed by architect Juan Bautista Arnaldi—and the original structure facing Boulevard Gálvez. In terms of layout, the rooms are arranged around two central courtyards connected by the "Courtyard of Christ" (Patio de Cristo), named after the image that presides over it. The main façade is organized around the chapel as the focal point of the composition, which is further enriched by pinnacles, pointed arches, rose windows, and other elements characteristic of the Neo-Gothic style.)

Colegio San José Adoratrices - 14" x 18" oil on canvas.