The 1950s were a tempestuous period in both the political and cultural life of the country. March 10, 1952 – Fulgencio Batista assumes dictatorial powers; July 26, 1953, the centenary of José Marti’s birth – a detachment led by Fidel Castro storms the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba. This was a milestone on the long road that began with the disembarkation from the Granma and the descent from the peaks of the Sierra Maestra and ended in the triumph of the Revolution. A Biennial of Spanish-American Art was organized jointly by Franco’s Council for Spanish-American Countries and Batista’s National Institute of Culture , but it met with opposition from the progressive-minded artistic circles of Cuba. Almost all the painters in the 1950s leaned toward abstractionism.

Cuban painting on the eve of the triumph of the Revolution in 1959 was marked by the same diversity that typifies it today. There was a multitude of styles, trends, methods, and forms of expression based on a variety of different theories. This motely scene signified a turning point in modern Cuban painting because what it all added up to was, fundamentally, a search for new themes, a search that in turn reflected the ongoing uncompromising struggle between two antagonistic worlds. To find one’s way about in this maze one has to be guided by a revolutionary world outlook. We do not shut our eyes to these problems. Pop and Op art, the New Objectivity, kinetic art – all these modern developments arouse the same interest in artists as the older trends.

Antonio Vidal remains an abstractionist, but the other members of the Group of Eleven continued in their evolution and now reflect in their   canvases and achievements of the Revolution and its heroes. The works of Raŭl Martinez (Pic. 1)  and Fayard Jamis may serve as an examples. Antonia Eiriz (Pic.2) delivers her message in caustic and violent Expressionism. Servando Cabrera Moreno (Pic.3) finds his subject-matter in all aspects of the Revolution, from the heroism of its battles to the historical significance of its everyday toil. Kinetic art found its inspired and imaginative proponent in the person of Sandŭ Dariè.

Pic.1 Raŭl Martinez                    Pic.2 Antonia Eiriz                       Pic.3 Servando Cabrera Moreno

PHOENIX, 1968                          THE ANNUNCIATION, 1963         PEASANT MILITIA, 1961

Adigio Benĭtez (Pic.4), a veteran political cartoonist, paints social subjects too: his finest achievements in the field is perhaps the Welders series.

Pic.4 Adigio Benĭtez

WELDERS, 1963

One of the most talented artists was Angel Acosta Leòn (Pic. 5) who died prematurely and whose artistic heritage contains works of extraordinary merit.

Pic.5 Angel Acosta Leòn

COFFEE-POT No 1, 1960

The revolution of January 1, 1959 brought freedom to the Cuban people and, naturally, creative freedom to the country’s artists.

(from JORGE RIGOL)