COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Blood and Soil: The Personification of the Cuban Landscape
Creator:
Mayor, Cristina
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“Cuban avant-garde of the 1920s–1930s used images of the Cuban landscape to support modernist and revolutionary rhetoric. The avant-garde integrated principles created during the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898) to further identify with intrinsically Cuban morals. Examining the Cuban avant-garde’s efforts toward cultural and social change showcases how personified imagery of the land redefined Cuba’s national identity. The cultural significance of the Cuban War of Independence spurred from Cuba’s colonial history. Analyzing social dynamics created under the Spanish Empire, such as racial hierarchy and classist systems, reveals how industries like the sugar trade dominated citizen’s interactions with their environment. European and American artists of the nineteenth century utilized philosophies like the sublime to contextualize the landscapes of Cuba and foster imperial agendas. Studying Cuban artists of the nineteenth century showcases how modern Cuban artists used landscapes to counter false representations of Cuba and advocate for revolutionary ideas. The impact of revolutionary leaders of the War of Independence (1895–1898), like José Martí, highlights the importance of a free society and tells us why Cuban artists came to characterize the motherland as one with the revolutionary cause. After the war, Cuba fell under U.S. control and was awarded restricted autonomy in 1902. Thereafter, creative exchanges in Latin America, specifically between Mexico and Cuba, allowed revolutionary ideals to integrate with modernist imagery. By 1927, the Cuban avant-garde group, the Minoristas, coalesced under their publication Revista de Avance, reinforcing revolutionary principles in defining the Cuban landscape.” –Abstract
Keywords: Cuban avant-garde, Cuban War of Independence, landscapes, José Martí, The Minoristas, Revista de Avance, the sublime.
Keywords: Cuban avant-garde, Cuban War of Independence, landscapes, José Martí, The Minoristas, Revista de Avance, the sublime.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2023-09
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 104 pages, color illustrations)