'chi-mime throwing card in puddle'

Baracoa de Cuba – La Magia de sus Pintores

i finally got ahold of the book Baracoa de Cuba – La Magia de sus Pintores, of which i already wrote a while ago. first glance made me jump back across the ocean immediately; the nocturne streets with the few shady streetlights, the century old wooden houses with their red roofing tiles, the verandas, the open doors and windows amid humidity where families and neighbors are watching the immense popular novelas under bare lightbulbs, the sea rubbing its skin against the Malecón. one tends to vaporize into intertwining parallel times, taking a stroll under a mute starry night.

the book looks splendid i must say; cover, layout, the quality of paper and photographs taken. the introduction written by Alejandro Hartmann Matos to the town’s history has been done superb as well. it is accompanied by engravings and paintings, and a stunning photograph taken by Sumner W. Matteson around 1900; a north-american who travelled the entire area by bicycle back then. it’s the first time ever i saw a picture by him and my god what a picture it is! a young woman standing in a bohío – i presume – holding a whiter than white cup and saucer. she is bronzed by the sun through and through, rural life written all over her face and arms, her clothes a bit ragged but her eyes tell it all: a polite manner with a secure distance.

eight mainly senior artists – either living and working in Baracoa or born there – are represented here, followed by a much younger and lesser known generation. now some of them i met throughout the years, saw their works or visited their studios. names such as Caboverde, Piedra and Eliades were and still are pretty known. of course there’s Zúñiga, but it’s especially interesting to read more about their background, on how they developed their artistry. there was practically nothing going on in Baracoa at the time. they formed a group and wandered the area painting the landscape, the harbor, the bohíos, the farmers and fishermen, sharing the food they had between them. next to short biographies there are reflections about how they see themselves and their lifelong art.

you have to understand that there was almost no going over land to Baracoa until the 1960s, when La Farola was constructed; the only road leading through the mountains coming from Guantánamo. prior, the harbor was its main artery. transport has been – and sometimes still is – very difficult, especially in hurricane season. rocks fall down and it can rain for days when roads get totally flooded and the airport gets closed. but, once you’ve been there you’ll never forget it, even if civilization is rapidly catching up.

now, if you’re not that familiar with Baracoa – a relatively small rural town on Cuba’s eastern coast and Cuba’s oldest settlement – and if you love the subject and are interested in more specifics concerning it’s natural beauty and history, i advise you to go after two other books that have been published over the last few years:

- Baracoa, where Cuba begins by Miguel A. Castro Machado, and…

- Baracoa, un paraíso cubano by Alejandro Hartmann Matos (only available in Spanish as far as i know).

Baracoa de Cuba – La Magia de sus Pintores has been published in a Spanish/English limited edition by the St. Augustine – Baracoa Friendship Association seated in Florida, USA; soft cover, 112 pages of which 105 in full color, and can be ordered through their website here. thanks to Soledad Pagliuca!