By Noelia Irene Barrios
THE LIBERATOR
Arriving in Corrientes, between the General Belgrano bridge and the Paraná, a statue stands looking towards the river. Few people know that it is a sculpture of General Carlos María de Alvear and even more so, they do not know whose hands were that sculpted it. Imposing and visible to the thousands of people who pass by there every day, this is one of the works of the legendary sculptor Lola Mora, the great transgressor who dazzled Latin America there during the first decades of the 1900s. A monument that enhances the cultural wealth of the province and that arrived at Taragüi almost by chance.
The monument represents the one who was Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and today it is on 3 de Abril Avenue, almost reaching the Costanera. As detailed on the official page of the Institute of Culture of the Province, it was located there in 1928 and the inauguration was led by the then governor Benjamín Solano González, on October 4 of that year. However, although it was well received by the community, this work was not created for Corrientes.
A few years ago, in a talk on Historical Architectures of Corrientes, architect Miguel Ángel Riera explained the history of the statue and the coincidence that brought it to the province. «This sculpture by Alvear was in the National Congress along with others that she (Lola Mora) had made. But around 1920, she ordered all of her works to be removed from there. So they took their sculptures from the Hall of Presidents, sent them to a warehouse and then decided to move them to different places in the country. “This is how she gets here,” he explained and remarked: “Lola Mora was never in Corrientes and no one asked her for a job for the province.”
«To put it in a very general way, with a common saying ‘we link a Lola Mora from above’. It has to be said because that is the truth. And, I think that we as people from Corrientes are not aware of the importance that having one of his works means to the province,” added the architect, pointing out the historical and cultural value of that monument.
TRANSGRESSIVE
Regarding the mythical artist who was the first sculptor in Argentina and one of the pioneers of this art in Latin America, it is said that she was questioned for her status as a woman and artist, for the nudity of her characters and for the protection she had of figures. very important in politics. In fact, according to Riera in the same talk, it was when Julio Argentino Roca, her great protector, died that her detractors were able to have her works removed from the most visible places in Buenos Aires.
However, even though they tried to erase her from history, her undeniable talent made her immortal. Thus, even today, a century later, she is still present, causing admiration, like the statue that looks at the Paraná, although few know its origin.
A special place for the city
The Institute of Culture details about the Alvear monument that is made of Carrara marble. He adds that the base is made of polished pink stone originating from the quarries of the province. «On the front it has a large National Shield, made of cast bronze, approximately 80×60 centimeters. On the back side, the Shield of the Province of Corrientes, of the same metal and size,” he describes.
These data are enriched by a particular event that occurred when they were preparing the land where they were going to place the statue. “When the foundations were excavated, remains of pottery and work tools were found, belonging to the time of the founding of the city ( 1588). It happens that this sector was where the first settlement was established after the arrival of Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón. “These pieces are kept in the Historical Museum of the Province,” completes the official information.
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