The House of the Dogs - Herrera's palace of
APASEO EL GRANDE
(watercolor art into barroque palace)
The dog house has a Churrigueresque style, with two lobed arch columns and fine stone decorations made by a craftsman named Cornelio. Inside, the baroque-style wallpaper is still maintained.
The house was made for Don Francisco Antonio Fernández de Herrera, and until 1970 it was used as a garlic warehouse. The original name is Palacio Herrera, but it is known as the house of dogs, since at the main door there are two sculptures of dogs guarding access.
This was built between 1780 and 1789, although there are other dog houses in CDMX, Guadalajara and Queretaro, nevertheless this in Apaseo is the only one in its Churrigueresque style. It has two level facades and in the corners it has pilasters in the form of niches, on whose shaft is the emblem of the House of Austria: A double-headed eagle.
Among the smells of the town, the walk of the people, a dog, a couple of pigeons fluttering... All this is part of the atmosphere that surrounds the plein air.
The moment is precise to observe all the details and try to memorize the angles of the light.
It helps a lot, discerning from the forms observed to those that are reflected on the paper, and making the decision to omit those forms in favor of the total composition of the watercolor.
