Rene Mederos
Encyclopedia
Felix René Mederos Pazos (20 November 1933 – 24 September 1996) was a prominent Cuba
n poster
artist and graphic designer
. A self-taught artist from Sagua la Grande
, he began work in a Havana
printshop
in 1944 and was appointed Chief Designer for Cuba's principal television station in 1959. In 1964, at the beginning of the new wave of Cuban graphic design, Mederos began creating his first posters as head of the design team of the propaganda
organization Intercommunications.
In 1969 he was assigned by DOR (Department of Revolutionary Orientation) to travel to Vietnam
to paint scenes of the war
. He travelled to both North
and South Vietnam
along the Ho Chi Minh trail
with the liberation forces
, experiencing first-hand the brutal conditions of war and the courageous response of the Vietnamese people. The paintings were exhibited in Hanoi
, and were subsequently reproduced as a screenprinted
series which has been shown all over the world. Another trip in 1972 added to the body of work. Several of these images were reproduced in the United States
as part of the anti-war and Cuba solidarity efforts and in Cuba as a set of postage stamp
s. He also contributed to the solidarity posters produced by OSPAAAL
(Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa, and Latin America) which enjoyed worldwide distribution through the magazine Tricontinental
.
In 1973 Mederos created a series of vallas (12-sheet billboards) on the history of the Cuban Revolution
as well as a series of screenprints commemorating the 20th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada
, the event signaling the beginning of the armed resistance to the Batista
government. He continued to design vallas and posters for DOR and its successor Editora Politica (EP) on a wide range of domestic and international issues.
In 1991 Mederos visited the United States for the first time, where he designed and painted a mural at UCLA
on U.S.–Vietnam solidarity. His last major project was a 14-panel portable mural series on Che Guevara
.
René Mederos died of cancer
in Havana in 1996. His style, with its bright, firmly contoured surfaces, its ebullience of patterns in nature, and a strong, political theme, established a unique standard for graphic design in Cuba which influenced a whole generation of graphic artists all over the world.
This article incorporates text from an obituary
by Ken Brociner, David Kunzle, and Lincoln Cushing, available at http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/Cuba/MederosObit.html.
Artist has biographical information and numerous posters reproduced in Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art [Lincoln Cushing, Chronicle Books, 2003]. Also see Che Guevara : Icon, Myth, and Message [David Kunzle, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1997] and interview by Karen Wald "A Cuban Artist Views North Vietnam" [Ramparts magazine, April 1970].
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 poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
artist and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
. A self-taught artist from Sagua la Grande
Sagua La Grande
Sagua La Grande is a municipality and city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central Cuba, on the Sagua la Grande River. The city is close to Mogotes de Jumagua, limestone cliffs...
, he began work in a 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...
printshop
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
in 1944 and was appointed Chief Designer for Cuba's principal television station in 1959. In 1964, at the beginning of the new wave of Cuban graphic design, Mederos began creating his first posters as head of the design team of the propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
organization Intercommunications.
In 1969 he was assigned by DOR (Department of Revolutionary Orientation) to travel to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to paint scenes of the war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He travelled to both North
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
and South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
along the Ho Chi Minh trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
with the liberation forces
National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
, experiencing first-hand the brutal conditions of war and the courageous response of the Vietnamese people. The paintings were exhibited in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, and were subsequently reproduced as a screenprinted
Screen-printing
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate...
series which has been shown all over the world. Another trip in 1972 added to the body of work. Several of these images were reproduced in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as part of the anti-war and Cuba solidarity efforts and in Cuba as a set of postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s. He also contributed to the solidarity posters produced by OSPAAAL
Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America
The Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America , abbreviated as OSPAAAL, is a Cuban political movement with the stated purpose of fighting globalisation, imperialism, neoliberalism and defending human rights. It publishes the magazine Tricontinental...
(Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa, and Latin America) which enjoyed worldwide distribution through the magazine Tricontinental
Tricontinental
Tricontinental is a leftist quarterly magazine founded during the 1966 Tricontinental Conference, currently published by the Cuban organisation OSPAAAL.The magazine receives much funding from sympathetic Italian groups....
.
In 1973 Mederos created a series of vallas (12-sheet billboards) on the history 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...
as well as a series of screenprints commemorating the 20th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada
Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermón Moncada, a hero of the War of Independence. On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. This armed attack is widely accepted...
, the event signaling the beginning of the armed resistance to the Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
government. He continued to design vallas and posters for DOR and its successor Editora Politica (EP) on a wide range of domestic and international issues.
In 1991 Mederos visited the United States for the first time, where he designed and painted a mural at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
on U.S.–Vietnam solidarity. His last major project was a 14-panel portable mural series on Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
.
René Mederos died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Havana in 1996. His style, with its bright, firmly contoured surfaces, its ebullience of patterns in nature, and a strong, political theme, established a unique standard for graphic design in Cuba which influenced a whole generation of graphic artists all over the world.
This article incorporates text from an obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
by Ken Brociner, David Kunzle, and Lincoln Cushing, available at http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/Cuba/MederosObit.html.
Artist has biographical information and numerous posters reproduced in Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art [Lincoln Cushing, Chronicle Books, 2003]. Also see Che Guevara : Icon, Myth, and Message [David Kunzle, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1997] and interview by Karen Wald "A Cuban Artist Views North Vietnam" [Ramparts magazine, April 1970].