An Examination of Cuban Creativity and Modern Artworks
Cuban-style art is a diverse ethnic merging of African, European and North American visual design telegraphing the multi-ethnic demographic of Cuba. Artists from Cuba developed the European modernist movement and the 1920-1950 era witnessed a growth in Cuban modernist trends; these movements were identified by a potpourri of contemporary artistic styles. Some of the more celebrated 20th century Cuban artists tended to hail from the early part of the 1900s (for example Amelia Pelez).
Perhaps the most famous artwork to be produced in the island of Cuba was THAT photograph of Che Guevara (photograph by Alberto Korda) which actually became perhaps one of the most noted photographs of the previous century.
The indigenous Cuban art cause amassed some pace after the opening of the the art academy (San Alejandro) back in 1818, which was developed to fulfil the European appreciation of the bourgeoisie population of Cuba. In the late 19th century, landscape paintings were very representative within the art movement of Cuba and classicalism was still the genre of choice.
Even So, the pioneering Cuban contemporary artists of the 1920s had rejected the academic orthodoxies of the national art academy of Cuba. During their genesis, many Cuban artists had resided in France, where they learned and took in the founding rules of cubism, surrealism and modernist primitivism. They returned to Cuba dedicated to innovative artistic methods and were motivated to blend this new artistic leaning with a Cuban influence. The pioneering artists accomplished world acclaim in 2003 with the Modern Cuban Painting show at the MOMA in New York. Such art styles have now been made very popular through canvas artwork decorated on walls around the world.
