HISTORY OF CUBAN PAINTING

Bases for the emergence

of Cuban Art

The artistic history of American peoples is very recent, and has as its unique history, indigenous origin and contribution of their colonizers. For something was with Santo Domingo, one of the first territories colonized in the new continent, and it is natural that the sea found providentially by Colon, continue to be the path to bring these new lands the culture and the artistic spirit involved . Cuba was the central point of arbitration for the civilizing expansion that came from old Europe.

On that advantage should be among the oldest cultural centers of our America, are those of Cuba and Mexico the first to emerge shortly after the start of European settler expansion, especially in the Iberian Peninsula.

There is evidence of the visual arts of our Indian and says Don Jose Antonio Saco were communities and monasteries where there was first an import need and plastic images on canvas, wood or ivory and then the obligation, to restore and reproduce ; taking advantage of the cleric everything available, from the slave for minor chores of cleaning and preparation of materials, to the nomadic artist who for various reasons came to warm lands. The governors, captains, bishops and mayors with their families brought mystical images determined by Christs carved miniatures and some very fashionable these days.

Colonial Period

The Historic development of Cuban painting begins just prior to the sixteenth century, in Cuba's early colonial era. Scholars have pinpointed this period as the genesis of artistic production, dating it back to the beginning of the colonization by citing the religious objects of the island's natives Taino and Siboney indigenous population. It is also during this time, and under the auspices of the Catholic Church that images on canvas , marble and wood were imported from Europe.

Later, as both churches and convents were constructed, the need arose to maintain existing images and produce new one to fill the new religious venues, For this task, the clergy engaged the service of artisan and visiting artist , and gradually, painting as a profession evolved. It was in the context that Jose Nicolas de la Escalera(1734-1804) produced his religious painting which date back to the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In addition religious themes, work from this period also include the portraiture works of Vicente Escobar (1757-1854) and his student, Juan del Rio. Escobar was a renowned portraitist, who created many works depicting high-ranking Spanish military officials as well as members of the Spanish and creole aristocracy .

Everything that was not enough to the Cuban painting development, but incipient society demonstrated the appropriateness of the environment for future activity of a School of performing arts such as "San Alejandro"
Source: Grandes Maestros del Arte Cubano book

CUBA, COLONIAL PERIOD AND EARLY REPUBLIC

The National School of Fine Arts of Cuba "San Alejandro"

Founded in 1818, from its recognition by the Real Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais, who took charge of his administration's January 11, 1818, leaving the front of the direction of its founder, the French painter Juan Bautista Vermay, who had started a year before the organization of this campus. then their workshops and studios are moved to the headquarters of the Royal Society installed itself in the convent of San Agustin, located on Calle Teniente Rey Aguilar and, within the walls of the old city of Havana. This school foundation was due in part to the efforts of the eminent Spanish painter Francisco de Goya and the Duke d'Orleans, who sent to Vermay with two presentation's letters to the Espada Bishop.

Since then the blossoming of our fine arts has led to the development of this source School, which became a guiding and doctrinal element, similar to the Europeans of their gender, which took example.

The founding of the San Alejandro Academy was a key event in the development of Cuban art since it established a rigorous curriculum based on European academic principles, which enabled its graduates to continue their studies abroad at the most prestigious art studies institution in Europe and the United States,After completing their extended international studies, many of the alumni joined its faculty where they played important educational roles. Hence a recurring cycle was established that the expanded the scope of its curriculum. The alumni faculty provided the academy with a steady influx of international artistic concept which were them imparted to the next generation of student painters. 

Although   the academy experienced periods of instability during the Colonial period, it also endured as the Central Cuban art studies institution. The academy prevailed over economic difficulties that developed after Vermay's dead . However, It was the prevailing pro-independence  currents, which had begun to be felt at the academy as well as throughout the island since the decade of the 1830 tha contributed to its conflict with the colonial government . As a matter of fact, Academy Director , Francisco Camilo Cuyas y Sierra, was the first artist to render a visual record of this mounting anti-colonial sentiment. 

During the 1870, Spanish authorities  closed the Academy and branded it as "a focal point of political insurrection ". The academy even lost students and professors during the War of Independence (1895-1898). However, , throughout the colonial period, the Academy continuously managed to remain as the primary Cuban Art studies institution and it continued to engage its alumni as faculty, thereby perpetuaing an enduring cyclical and renewable artistic academic tradition in Cuba.  

How began operating the School of Arts "San Alejandro"

The first regulation which gave formal teaching was approved on August 13, 1832, and introduced essential changes in its statutes. That was intended "general curator" of the Royal Society, Don Tomas Agustin Cervantes, who in his first article he stated: "The Free Academy of Painting and drawing Havana, established on January 11, 1818 in the Convent of Sn Agustin "San Alejandro" renamed it in grateful memory of Don Alejandro Ramirez, mayor of the army and the general superintendent be owed its foundation and progress. "

Working under the canopy of the dominant Romantic Movement, colonial period landscape artist were moved to abandon formalism and draw inspiration directly from nature by painting in the open air . They used this style to celebrate the beauty of nature and with great lucidity captured certain elements of the light , hues , and shadows that characterized the island's countrysides which contains several examples of paintings produced in the open air such as: works of Philipe,Esteban Sebastian and Agusto Chartrand Dubois , Miguel Arias, Leopoldo Romañach Guillen , Juana Borrero Pierra, Feliciano Ibañez, and Valentin Sans Carta.

The body of work produced during the colonial period set a standard for the next generation of artists who studied and taught at the San Alejandro Academy during the years of the Cuban republic (1902-1958) . As an institution, the academy provided the ambit for artistic production to develop and flourish. Thank to the Colonial period artists, a standard of excellence and a recurring cycle were established at the academy. This cycle would ensure that the during both epochs , colonial and republican , the alumni would return to serve in the academy's faculty and the continued influx of international artistic concept would thus be an integral part of art education in Cuba.

Source : La Pintura y la Escultura en Cuba and Grandes Maestros books

History of the Cuban National Museum

During the colonial period there existed no public places to elevate the culture of the people, but at the birth of the Republic , the development of the old libraries and new museum increased slowly in the principal provinces.

In Havana, a group of intellectuals presided over by the architect, Emilio Heredia y Mora, succeeded in interesting Dr. Mario Garcia Kohly, Secretary of the Public Instruction and Fine Art, when Major General Jose Miguel Gomez was president, in creating The National Museum . The  Decree of Feb.23,1913 established its formation, and on April 28 of the same year it was inaugurated in the old Fronton building on Concordia St. under the direction of the same Heredia, who succeeded in obtaining from many patriots and distinguished families varied objects of historic character and some works of art.

In 1915 it was moved to the beautiful building to the Quinta de Toca on Carlos III Drive, but being without official protection had to be closed until May 20,1919, when it was opened anew to the Republic by Dr Francisco Dominguez Roldan , Secretary of the Public Instruction during the presidency of General Menocal.

When the Quinta de Toca was sold in 1923, again the public was deprived of its exhibition, and it was moved to present domicile at 108 Aguiar St., where it was opened to the public on Feb, 6, 1924, then it was  moved with its contents to current place near Paseo del Prado, a new and beautiful  building constructed especially for historic and artistic purposes. When this occurred was an important step  taken for the Nation, with desires to live in the culture giving prime importance to such public establishments, on account of their popular character and on account of the democratic right of the people to know the artistic and historic progresses of their own country.

Its first Director and founder was the architect Emilio Heredia, who was able to obtain and preserve numerous objects of art, some donated by fellow citizens, others purchased by the state.

The National Museum, today, The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana has preserved in the artistic section, originals of paintings and sculptures of our recent past as well as of contemporary times and certain foreign originals. 

Source: Cuban Magazine