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Aristides Fernandez (1904-1934)
Of all of the Cuban painters of the Vanguard era, Aristides Fernandez probably holds the most intrigue and fascination of them all. Dying tragically at a young age, he was never able to exhibit his work during his lifetime. In 1935, after his death, his friend and fellow painter Jorge Arche organized the first ever exhibit of his in Cuba. It was not until the 1950’s however that Fernandez's work became nationally recognized.
Though almost completely self-taught, Fernandez briefly attended the San Alejandro Academy. He did not finish his studies there, however and dropped out only a year into his studies.
Fernandez was known to be a violent person, highly critical of his own work. He rejected the green color palate used by his contemporaries, and instead depicted Cuba in deep blues and grey tones. One of his most famous paintings “Lavanderas” is a great example of his use of blue tones and portrayal of Cuban life.
Lavanderas
His style was very different from that of his contemporaries, and is difficult to categorize, though he may be linked closest to the Expressionists. During his lifetime, he was highly critical about the organized art school systems, and was always trying to separate himself from movements, styles or art groups. Nevertheless, he became good friends with many high profile artists of the day such as Jorge Arche and Victor Manuel.
Despite the fact that Fernandez did not categorize himself in any way, today he is known as being one of the forerunners in Cuban Modernism and social commentary paintings. His work was usually very socially driven and featured the “peasants” of rural Cuba, such as “La Familia.”
La Familia
Almost as popular as Fernandez's paintings are his short stories. Written mostly in the first person narrative, Fernandez was also one of the first Cuban painters to write in the horror genre. Leaving behind 17 short stories in total, his compositions were also never published during his lifetime, but were released in 1960.
Because of Fernandez's sometimes turbulent, often mysterious and short-lived life, the possibility for previously unknown work of his surfacing is great. He was known to destroy many of his paintings due to his perfectionist nature, therefore leaving very few finished pieces in his oeuvre compared to most painters.
Fernandez's work is very pictorial and narrative in nature and his paintings seem to tell a story about what’s going on. He rarely did still life, landscapes or portraiture—always scenes telling stories about Cuban culture and people. Sadly, like most painters, he only reached national acclaim posthumously, leaving many questions and mysteries about his work behind.
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