Víctor Manuel García Valdés
Encyclopedia
Víctor Manuel García Valdés (1897–1969) was a Cuban
painter of the Avant-garde
movement.
, at age 6 he already showed a precocious attitude for drawing. At age 12, he started studying arts at San Alejandro Art School, the most recognized art school in Cuba. When he was 14, he started to act as unofficial professor of elementary drawing classes http://www.alocubano.com/victor_manuel.htm.
He studied with Leopoldo Romañach
, another famous Cuban painter, and by age 19 his talent started to become evident. Nevertheless, he performed his first personal exhibition as late as 1924 (when he was 26 years old). In 1925, he travels abroad, visiting France
. It is in Montparnasse
that a group of French artists advised him to sign his paintings only as Víctor Manuel (until that moment, he used his entire name and surname).
He returns home in 1927, and participates in an exhibition at the Painters and Sculptors Association of Havana, that is considered one of the starting points of Cuban modern
painting era. In this time, he dedicated himself, for almost two years, to train other Cuban painters free of charge. Afterwards, he returns to Europe
, visiting Spain
and Belgium
, returning to Cuba again in 1929. It is in this year that he creates his most famous painting: La Gitana Tropical ("The Tropical Gipsy"), popularly known as La gioconda americana, (the American Mona Lisa) which is in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. It is considered by critics to be one of the defining pieces of Cuban Avant-garde
.
He obtains a first prize in 1935, in an art exhibition at Havana's Lyceum, and continues exhibiting his works in Cuba and abroad.
He died on 1969, in Havana.
, and his portraits were almost cubist.
He was very inconsistent in signing his work. He ranged from a simple "VICTOR MANUEL" capitalized signature, to fluid and complicated script, to not signing his paintings at all, and he even used a pseudonym
in a period of his life http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/artists/manuel.shtml.
His subjects were the constant point of his work. He was eminently a portraitist of female faces, as well as painter of landscapes
, both rural and urban.
Cubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
painter of the Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
movement.
Biography
Born in HavanaHavana
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...
, at age 6 he already showed a precocious attitude for drawing. At age 12, he started studying arts at San Alejandro Art School, the most recognized art school in Cuba. When he was 14, he started to act as unofficial professor of elementary drawing classes http://www.alocubano.com/victor_manuel.htm.
He studied with Leopoldo Romañach
Leopoldo Romañach
Leopoldo Romañach y Guillen was a well-known Cuban painter. He was a professor of color theory at San Alejandro, won a number of awards...
, another famous Cuban painter, and by age 19 his talent started to become evident. Nevertheless, he performed his first personal exhibition as late as 1924 (when he was 26 years old). In 1925, he travels abroad, visiting France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is in Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
that a group of French artists advised him to sign his paintings only as Víctor Manuel (until that moment, he used his entire name and surname).
He returns home in 1927, and participates in an exhibition at the Painters and Sculptors Association of Havana, that is considered one of the starting points of Cuban modern
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
painting era. In this time, he dedicated himself, for almost two years, to train other Cuban painters free of charge. Afterwards, he returns to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, visiting Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, returning to Cuba again in 1929. It is in this year that he creates his most famous painting: La Gitana Tropical ("The Tropical Gipsy"), popularly known as La gioconda americana, (the American Mona Lisa) which is in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. It is considered by critics to be one of the defining pieces of Cuban Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
.
He obtains a first prize in 1935, in an art exhibition at Havana's Lyceum, and continues exhibiting his works in Cuba and abroad.
He died on 1969, in Havana.
Style
Víctor Manuel's style was not monolithic, but evolved greatly, during his lifetime. His first paintings show a tendency to mix European school with a primitive style, such as La Gitana Tropical (1929). In the 1940s and 1950s, he adopted a more stylized look that became distinctive of his work. During the last years of his life, his style became almost abstractAbstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, and his portraits were almost cubist.
He was very inconsistent in signing his work. He ranged from a simple "VICTOR MANUEL" capitalized signature, to fluid and complicated script, to not signing his paintings at all, and he even used a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
in a period of his life http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/artists/manuel.shtml.
His subjects were the constant point of his work. He was eminently a portraitist of female faces, as well as painter of landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
, both rural and urban.