O.K. ….. Well this is a picture of me in the garden of the Church of Santa Ana in Glew, Buenos Aires Province, but this post is about the work of artist Raúl Soldi. I’ll get to the church and it will all make sense in a minute! I had no idea who Soldi was until my friend pointed out the three small line drawings on the wall in my first apartment, she told me he was a very famous Argentine artist and we would have to go to see his work one day before I left. As it happens there was a small exhibition of Soldi’s work in Adrogue where my friend lives and where Soldi lived, as well.
The lighting in the community center wasn’t perfect for photos but I think you get the idea. Soldi worked for many years at Theatro Colón creating sets and costumes and some of these drawings are sketches for that work. The paintings also have a theatrical feel and a dreamlike make believe quality.
Soldi spent 23 summers painting the frescoes in the Church of Santa Ana in Glew. The paintings depict the life of Christ …. but the setting is the town of Glew. 23 years is a commitment …. and you can clearly see the progression and change in his style of painting as you look around the church.
This is a lovely little chapel …. and one of the best cared for places I’ve visited here in Argentina! It is a bit of a hike however …. a half hour ride on the bus to the city center, a one hour ride in a micro bus to Adrogue and a 20 minute train to Glew! Ohhhhh, I did have my first free train ride ….. the train was arriving and there was a line at the ticket booth so my friend grabbed me and we just got on … she didn’t want to wait for the next train …. and since she rides free it was $1.10 pesos, seriously .21 cents! I did pay on the way back!
Soldi was born in Argentina in 1905 and went abroad to study art in Italy before returning to Argentina. The work at Santa Ana began in 1953. Soldi also worked on the restorations of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. While he worked at Theatro Colón he painted the ceilings in the Salón Dorado. The cupola in the main theatre was painted in 1966, it depicts the musicians and instruments of the theatre. Soldi died in 1994.
This is a photo of a photo but better than the one I was able to take on my tour of the theatre. This ‘photo’ actually measures 7 meters across!
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