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One of the few female
painters of the Cuban pre-Vanguard era was Maria Ariza y
Delance. Her paintings are reminiscent of European
styling, and rarely ever touch on the deeply "Cuban"
themes of many of her contemporaries. However, her
pupils and fellow artists and critics hailed her as a
master of landscaping and figure painting, and figure
painting.
Ariza was born in Havana, and was home schooled most of
her life. Her father was a prominent Havana architect.
In 1907, in her late twenties, she traveled to Europe to
study abroad and take painting lessons. There she stayed
for 18 years, living in France, Spain, Italy and
Belgium. She studied art at the Julien Academy in Paris
during her stay, where she held an apprenticeship in the
Fine Arts.
Landscape painting seemed to be Ariza's forte, and such
accomplished composition as "El Laguito" and "Patio"
stand out and show her full grasp of detailing and use
of light and dark. |
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Upon her return to
Cuba in 1926, Ariza began working at the San Alejandro
School as a professor of Art History. She also served as
the Secretary of the school under the direction of
Armando Menocal, another famous Cuban painter and
teacher.
During her lifetime, she was awarded many prizes and
given much recognition for her artistic achievements.
Today, her work is housed all over Cuba, and certainly
in the European countries she resided in during the
1920s. Could there be a missing Ariza masterpiece in a
Spanish villa or French farmhouse? The possibilities
seem to be endless. Currently, her name is broadly
unknown outside of Cuban art circles, but the artistic
value of her work remains. |
