Escena criolla. Argentina. Principios del s. XX.

Oil on canvas, signed in the lower left corner. Dimensions: 44 x 64 cm. Framed.

Facing the painter, under the shade of an ombu tree, eight country folk, men and women dressed in traditional Creole attire, make up this scene.

Seated and reclining, they gaze into the distance, and a few look at the artist; closer to the viewer is a guitar. The figures, some barely sketched, others painted with very diluted oil paint, seem to suggest an unfinished painting, although the artist's signature dispels this notion. This is a variation on a recurring theme for the artist: the rural scene of country folk with a payador (folk singer), for example, "Payadores en la estancia" (Folk Singers at the Tigre Art Museum). In this case, the guitar seems to await the musician.

Carlos Ripamonte (Buenos Aires, 1874 - Villa Ballester, 1968) initially trained with Juan Bautista Curet and later with the Italian Miguel Carmine, continuing his studies at the Academy of the Sociedad Estímulo de Bellas Artes (Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts), where his teachers included Reynaldo Giúdice, Ángel Della Valle, and Ernesto de la Cárcova. In 1899, a scholarship from the National Government enabled him to further his studies in Europe, settling in Rome under the guidance of Giulio Aristide Sartorio.

Upon his return to Argentina, he joined the Nexus Group alongside prominent artists such as Fernando Fader, Cesáreo Bernaldo de Quirós, and Pío Collivadino, among others, actively participating in the renewal of Argentine art at the beginning of the 20th century. He played a central role in art education: he was vice-director of the National Academy of Fine Arts and director of the Higher School of Fine Arts until 1931, in addition to presiding over the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts and serving on the National Commission of Fine Arts.

He received numerous awards and distinctions, including First Prize at the Centennial Exhibition of 1910. He held solo exhibitions in important venues such as Witcomb and Müller, and participated in national and provincial salons. His work is represented in museums and private collections.