Raúl Martínez
Encyclopedia
Publio Amable Raúl Martínez González, known as Raúl Martínez, (1 November 1927 – 2 April 1995)http://www.lajiribilla.cu/2005/n203_03/203_12.html was a Cuba
n painter, designer and graphic artist. He is best known for colorful pop-art portraits of leading Cuban political figures including José Martí
and Camilo Cienfuegos
.
Martínez was born in Ciego de Ávila
and studied in Havana
and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His early works were abstract, moving towards figurative work later in his career. After the Cuban Revolution
of 1959, Martínez helped the foundation of the Cuban Film Institute
(ICAIC), Casa de las Américas
and the Cuban Book Institute.
Influenced by the growing pop-art movement, Martínez created a series of designs for magazines, books and posters. Many of his works carried the themes and iconography of the Cuban revolution
, using vibrant colors and comic book themes. In 1966 Martínez began the first of many designs based around the image of national hero José Martí.
Works by Raúl Martínez are on exhibit in museums throughout the world. He made at least twenty personal exhibits, including exhibitions of his drawings and designs in the Center of Cuban Studies in New York (1975), and Cuban photography and posters (1983, United States). He also received the Silver Medal in the Cuban Painting Exhibition at Tampa University, Florida. Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Arts dedicates a large space in the permanent collections halls to Raúl Martínez.
Raúl Martínez (1927–1995) b. Camagüey, Cuba. Painter and designer. He studied at the Academy of Arts of San Alejandro. During the 1950s he worked in the advertising agency OTPLA. Was artistic director of the cultural magazine Lunes de Revolución. Sporadically designed film posters for ICAIC. During the 1960s was professor of design in the School of Architecture of the University of Havana. His work has participated in collective and personal expositions and the biennials of Mexico; São Paulo, Brazil; Venice, Italy and in the Salon de Mai, Paris, France. His work has been rewarded on repeated occasions. He obtained the Silver Medal, Cuban Painting Exhibition, 1960; Medal of Bronze, International Exposition of the Art of the Book (WENT), Leipzig, Germany, 1965 and the National Prize of Plastic Arts, National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), 1995. The Counsel of State of the Republic of Cuba offered him the Distinction of National Culture, 1981; the Medal Alejo Carpentier, 1983 and the Order Félix Varela, 1988.
• Inspiration for Martinez’s work came from anonymous images taken from display cases in the Workers’ Centers and Defense Committees
• Artistic movements- Rauschenberg and Warhol.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n painter, designer and graphic artist. He is best known for colorful pop-art portraits of leading Cuban political figures including José Martí
José Martí
José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...
and Camilo Cienfuegos
Camilo Cienfuegos
Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán was a Cuban revolutionary born in Lawton, Havana. Raised in an anarchist family that had left Spain before the Spanish Civil War, he became a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro.-Political...
.
Martínez was born in Ciego de Ávila
Ciego de Ávila
Ciego de Ávila is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The city has a population of about 86,100.Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway and on a major railroad. Its port, Júcaro, lies south-southwest on the coast of the Gulf of Ana Maria in...
and studied in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His early works were abstract, moving towards figurative work later in his career. After the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
of 1959, Martínez helped the foundation of the Cuban Film Institute
Cinema of Cuba
Cinema arrived in Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century. Before the Cuban Revolution of 1959, about 80 full-length films were produced in Cuba. Most of these films were melodramas...
(ICAIC), Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the rest of the world...
and the Cuban Book Institute.
Influenced by the growing pop-art movement, Martínez created a series of designs for magazines, books and posters. Many of his works carried the themes and iconography of the Cuban revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, using vibrant colors and comic book themes. In 1966 Martínez began the first of many designs based around the image of national hero José Martí.
Works by Raúl Martínez are on exhibit in museums throughout the world. He made at least twenty personal exhibits, including exhibitions of his drawings and designs in the Center of Cuban Studies in New York (1975), and Cuban photography and posters (1983, United States). He also received the Silver Medal in the Cuban Painting Exhibition at Tampa University, Florida. Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Arts dedicates a large space in the permanent collections halls to Raúl Martínez.
See also
- Cuban artCuban ArtCuban art is a very diverse cultural blend of African, European and North American design reflecting the diverse demographic of the island. Cuban artists embraced European modernism and the early part of the 20th century saw a growth in Cuban vanguardism movements, these movements were...
Raúl Martínez (1927–1995) b. Camagüey, Cuba. Painter and designer. He studied at the Academy of Arts of San Alejandro. During the 1950s he worked in the advertising agency OTPLA. Was artistic director of the cultural magazine Lunes de Revolución. Sporadically designed film posters for ICAIC. During the 1960s was professor of design in the School of Architecture of the University of Havana. His work has participated in collective and personal expositions and the biennials of Mexico; São Paulo, Brazil; Venice, Italy and in the Salon de Mai, Paris, France. His work has been rewarded on repeated occasions. He obtained the Silver Medal, Cuban Painting Exhibition, 1960; Medal of Bronze, International Exposition of the Art of the Book (WENT), Leipzig, Germany, 1965 and the National Prize of Plastic Arts, National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), 1995. The Counsel of State of the Republic of Cuba offered him the Distinction of National Culture, 1981; the Medal Alejo Carpentier, 1983 and the Order Félix Varela, 1988.
• Inspiration for Martinez’s work came from anonymous images taken from display cases in the Workers’ Centers and Defense Committees
• Artistic movements- Rauschenberg and Warhol.