A major retrospective on Carlos Thays opened at the Recoleta Cultural Center last week. Never heard of him? Me neither. But he is the Frederick Law Olmsted of Argentina, a remarkable designer and visionary who built most of the major and minor parks in Buenos Aires and across the nation. He designed neighborhoods as well as envisioned the national park around Iguazu falls.
It was while visiting Iguazu in the Misiones province that he thought it a good idea to bring back a certain tree that he thought would work well in the city’s parks and on its streets.
How right he was. The jacarandas flowered just a week or two ago and have instantly made the city much more beautiful. It is incredible how these thin, twisted trees with creamy light purple flowers that explode like fireworks at the end of their fragile branches can change the whole look of the city. Against the green in the aprks, or the white marble and stone of the French-style buildings, they enrich the street. They are luxurious and delectable and regal.
They are also, for this photographer, impossible to capture. But no doubt I will keep trying.
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