An Introduction to Cuban Art on Canvas
September 18th, 2009
Cuban art is a diverse ethnical blending of European, North American and African aesthetic design showing the diverse population make-up of Cuba. Cuban artists espoused European modernism and the 1920-1940 era witnessed an expansion in Cuban modernist movements; these trends were characterized by an assortment of contemporary artistic genres. Celebrated Cuban artists tended to hail from the early 1900s (for example Amelia Pelez).
Perhaps the most notable piece of art to come out of the island of Cuba was THAT photograph of a certain Che Guevara (by Mr Alberto Korda) which was to become perhaps one of the most noted images of the 20th century. Today Cuban artwork is mounted on numerous canvas art prints.
The local Cuban artist movement gained momentum following the opening of the the art academy (San Alejandro) back in 1818, which was designed to satisfy the European appreciation of the Cuban middle class. In the late 19th century, landscapes dominated Cuban art and classicism was still the style of choice.
Yet, the pioneering Cuban modern artists of the 1920s had scorned the theoretical conventions of Cuba’s national art academy. During their formative years, numerous artists had resided in France, where they studied and took in the rules of surrealism, cubism, and modernist primitivism. They returned to Cuba committed to innovative artistic styles and were keen to mix this new artistic persuasion with a Cuban twist. The vanguardia artists accomplished international recognition only as recently as 2003 when the MOMA exhibited the the Modern Cuban Painting show.
Entry Filed under: Artsy Stuff