Blog #2- Brynn Hespeler
After reviewing and
reading the modules, it was interesting to learn all about the influence of
Cuban Culture.
The revolution had
a positive impact with the upcoming use of art because education allowed for
the use of artists to express themselves and attend art school. In the podcast
episode, many artists said they wouldn’t of became an artist if it wasn’t for
Castro. After the revolution, Cuban travel became more popular, more connoisseurs
visited the island in hopes to add to their collection. Although in 1959, when
the revolution ended, the Cuban art scene became cut up where art was sponsored
by the government. Some artists left Cuba to produce their own art where some
stayed behind. 20 years after the revolution, Cuban art became more influenced by
personal expression from each individual artist.
The political
state in Cuba influenced and changed artistic movements. I read about the Special
Period in 1991 which was an economic crisis in Cuba that happened because without
the Soviet Unions support, food and resources were scarce. This became a good
thing for artists since Castro then had to usher in allowing for painters and sculptors
to have the right to sell their work and then the ability to trade through the international
art market including the US. I think this gave artists more of a reason to
express themselves and show their culture through art to other cultures across
the world.
When Castro left being in power, it was said that more artists
felt freer to explore more terrain with more culture being allowed to thrive
through art pieces. I thought this was a positive thing for artists because
maybe it’s a way for them look at other nearby cultures and combine the two when
Castro left power.
Cuba is also very popular
with their music and dance. Cuban dance is a huge influence and Cuba holds the biggest ballet school in the world. Cuban music was big
before and after the revolution and has a large influence on Latin music and
in more recent years, in the 20th century, salsa become super
popular.
One artist that
caught my eye was Amelia Peláez who liked modern Cuban art that was organized
by the Cuban government. She incorporated many perspectives and colors into her
art pieces. Her still life paintings were beautiful and she used decorative patterns
with a range of bright colors to symbolize her Cuban identity. She attended Alejandro
Academy in Havana, and used the influence of Europe to use in her pieces. Like other
Cuban artists, Pelaez showed a message although I liked how her style of art
was very personal including what her private life looked like through artwork.
Two questions that I have created
after reading about reviewing the modules about Cuban art and culture are:
1. 1. Today
women have a huge voice in the art world, but do you think back then that women
had a harder time participating and getting recognized?
2. 2. I believe music didn’t change as much as art did after the revolution. What do you think art would be like if the revolution never happened?
Hi Brynn, you have some great information here! Concerning your first question, I think women probably did have a harder time getting recognized in the world of art "back then" because that seems to be a common trend in history. Luckily, there are pioneers, such as Amelia Palaez, who have the talent and ambition to break through those societal obstacles. As for your second question, I think the art in Cuba would be much less political. Castro encouraged the arts as a tactic for promotion within politics. Suddenly his face, along with Che Guevara's, was seen all over Cuba, whether it was street art, posters, or murals.
ReplyDeleteHi Brynn,
ReplyDeleteI liked your analysis! I also found Peláez interesting. I find it interesting that you mention Cuban travel being more popular after the Revolution, I would have thought it was more popular pre-revolution when Cuba was basically Las Vegas.
1. It depends what time period you're referring to, but probably. Women have certainly been prevented from access to work and expression throughout history though from my understanding (which may be incorrect), women were not kept out of the Cuban workforce to the same extent that they were in the US.
2. While Cuban art would certainly still be in existence, I don't think it would be as unique or important. Contemporary Cuban art is largely the product of the embargo, which was an indirect effect of the Revolution. Art was heavily enabled by government funding which was available due to Soviet influence and money, which existed because of the Revolution and embargo. Additionally, the artistic exception to the embargo further proliferated art, as the Cuban government encouraged sale abroad to inflate art value.
This is a great overview of Cuban art, Brynn. I appreciated the personal opinion with regards to Pelaez.
ReplyDelete1. I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to with this question. By "back then" do you mean at the beginning of the revolution? I'm going to assume so for this response. I think almost a certainty that women had a harder time getting recognition in the art scene. While the new communist government was built on the ideals of equality for all people, it rarely upheld that belief politically (i.e. the silencing of the 1971 black power movement). Unfortunately, sexism doesn't just disappear with a change in government. I'm sure women had a much more difficulty participating in Cuban high art than men did.
2. If the revolution never happened, Cuban art most likely still be very politically charged. It would still be inspired by the movements of Batista's time such as vnaguardia and Afrocubanismo, as those occured before the revolution. It would also likely be very political, though its commentary would be about capitalism, gambling, and Batista's dictatorship rather than the poor economy and censorship under communism. Street art would undoubtedly be huge, since Castro's government wouldn't have been there to financially support Cuban art schools.
Yes i should of clarified for question 1, I did mean pre-revolution!
Delete1) It certainly makes sense that women would have had a harder time becoming prominent artistic figures within Cuba, much like the rest of the world. I think to some degree, this lies in the preconceived notions that society has prescribed for women, such as being a housewife, bearing children, etc. Men have always had more options in most societies, and their viewpoints have always been more respected, whether they deserve it or not. However, I think that today the great majority of societies are figuring out that men oftentimes don't really have it all together, this coming from a man myself. haha. Different viewpoints make for different societies, and the intermingling of ideas helps to make society what it actually is/becomes and needs to be.
DeleteHi Brynn, this is a nice analysis and I greatly enjoy your questions. I think women certainly have a tough time in any realm that they are in especially in a communist culture. Although communism may seem as everyone is equal, women are still thought of as less than to a man. In Cuba, women now have seem to come to new positions much like the rest of the world but still have systematic sexism towards them not only in the art world but in any aspect.
ReplyDeleteIf the revolution didn't happen, art would still be made they just would've found something else to make art about. I do think it wouldn't be as emotion provoking though if there was no revolution since many of these art mediums are concerning this pivotal time in their history.
Brynn, I appreciate your analysis about the influence of Castro within the Cuban art scene.
ReplyDeleteAs far as question 2 goes, it is a very interesting topic. On one hand, Castro sponsored Cuban art by building art schools, allowing artists more opportunities to create art without financial constraints. On the other hand, as you mentioned, Castro's regime actively censored any form of overt political expression within an artists work. This put a huge constraint on artists, because when you think about famous artists, oftentimes there is a political motive behind their art. Picasso, for example, took a lot of inspiration from World War 2 in his work.
So it is hard to say how art would have been affected without the revolution. I think that although it may not have been as iconic or accessible without government funding, artists would have been able to express themselves more freely without the censorship that they had to face.