Holger W. Jensen, “Garden Gate (Taxco, Mexico),” Gouache on Paper, c. Early 20th Century

A painting of the Church of Santa Prisca y San Sebastian Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico as seen from a balcony of what is likely a nearby hotel. There is a little screen of small trees between the church and the portion of the building that is nearest to it. The foreground depicts the white stuccoed walls and terra-cotta roofs of a complex and sprawling structure (possibly La Casa Del Balcon, or what is now the Hotel Agua Escondida.) On the left, various small trees and plants grow behind a terra-cotta-embellished stucco wall. An iron railing tops the wall and screens a series of bright-yellow leaved potted plants. Lower down, a verdigris-colored gate bars the arched doorway of the enclosed garden. Some tree branches hang over the gate. The day is sunny but the blue sky is mostly obscured by dense cottony white clouds. The cooler blue and white tones of the painting contrast with the warmth of yellow flowers, terra-cotta tiles, and the salmon-colored towers of the church.