Abstract art and its influence in Cuba

Abstract and Concrete Art assume the primacy of logical thought process over the appearance of the visual image they share they reflect the artist's interpretation of reality The fifties universally represented the domain of abstraction in the most important artistic centers in the US and Europe since after World War II many painters emigrated to the United States where this movement emerged from abstract painting. Cuban artists were not the exception. Abstract movement in Cuba took boom in the 50s, which caused great impact with painters like: Sandu Darie, Guido Llinas, Antonio Vidal, Fayad Jamis Rene Avila, Jose Ignacio Bermudez, Hugo Consuegra, Viredo Espinosa, Cervando Cabrera, Mario Carreño Carmen Herrera, Mariano Rodriguez. In Cuba the influence of American abstract artists in the national movement known. Among the most prominent trends are informalist abstraction and concrete. The most prominent figures of this current abstract joined the group Los Once, as they were called by the initial number of participants, and in the Concrete...
From this boom took abstract art in Cuba a group that was called Pintores Concretos formed in 1958 by Pedro Alvarez Carmelo Lopez, Wifredo Arrcay Ochandarena, Zechariah Corratgé Salvador Ferrera, Sandú Darié, Pedro Luis Dario Martinez, Pedro of Oráa, Rafael Soriano López, José Angel Rosabal Fajardo.Sus architectural paintings which showed more defined contours and rigid .The group exhibitions held in 1959 "10 Concrete Painters" Light Color Art Gallery, Havana; in 1961, the exhibition "" A "/ Painting Concrete" versions of the letter "A", Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana. From 1960 there was a decline of abstract painting in Cuba and in the year 1961 was dissolved the Pintores Concretos group which contributed to the decline in the 70 and 80 of the exhibition samples of abstract art. Back in the 90s, it begins to feel a rebirth of this art in young painters who have been representing the abstract art in his works until today.

José Maria Mijares Fernandez. Born in 1921 in Havana, died in Miami, Fl. In 1942 is admitted at San Alejandro´s Academy of Fine Arts, Havana. After finishing his academic studies, and with a solid professional formation, his instinct led him to search for more contemporary artistic information sources, finding them at United States and Mexico.

In 1947 exposed his works for the first time in Cuba, and the Lyceum Lawn Tennis Club provided the artist a space, for the display of an interesting gouache collection. Later on, he obtains the National Paintings Prize, from the IV National Paintings, Engravings and Sculptures Salon, event that was an important milestone on his career. Vida en un interior (Life in an interior), one of his most known works, illustrates the definition process of his artistic expressive style, with a special poetic that valuates at the same time, the versatility of his plastic resources, and a exquisite sensibility handling different topics. He left Cuba in 1968 and came to Miami. His geometric style changed with the change in surroundings. Mijares was a prolific painter even in his waning years, working about six hours a day, beginning at sunrise.

Florida International University gave Mijares an honorary doctorate in fine arts in December 2001. In 2002, he opened the Mijares Gallery in Coral Gables, where his latest works went on display.