"This book interprets from a historical and social perspective the development of the Visual Arts in Cordoba (Argentina) in the second half of the 19th century. The period, characterized by the tension between the old and modern ideas, as the genesis of the local artistic field, crossing ethnic, economic, religious, political issues and gender. The author highlights the experience of producers and receivers in the middle, from the installation of the ""Aula de Dibujo"" (Drawing class) directed by the Portuguese master Luis Gonzaga Cony and the performance of their more prominent students, known as ""precursors of the art of Cordoba"". The practice of these artists is contrasted with the first contributions of Emilio Caraffa. The research focuses on the 'way of viewing"" local painting in oils, styles, genres and themes, as well as the iconography of images. The text goes through different moments in the formation of the field, such as the national exhibition of 1871, the establishment of public and private academies and associations and formations intended for the promotion of artistic practice, articulating the plastic productions with the culture of the time."