Cristo redentor
about two weeks ago, Lawrence requested me to send him some pictures of the Christ statue on mount Corcovardo in Rio de Janeiro, so he could have more details of it to make a series of paintings. he sent me the pic above just two days ago – it made me smile surprisingly. utter naive painting, loving it. you gotta give it to him working away like that at 70. i particularly like how he depicted mount Corcovardo; almost playing no role here, serving only as a modest pedestal but actually being the green lifeline to the figure’s blood. if there was no pedestal, no stage, nobody would ever be able to reach out for what they were trying to achieve or say, which in this case is the little red playful heart. don’t you think he gives it away on his face as well, slightly? his robe and its creases are done rather genuinely comparing it to the original. i’m loving it, truly. few contours and colors creating a warm maximum effect.
we were there in november 2008 for a short stay. unluckily it was pretty clouded when we were on top so we couldn’t see all of the surroundings, but all in all it was a beautiful trip. grand, green town, with all of its ports, tunnels, hills, miles of congested freeway and really nice people, in spite of all the warnings and stories. but, even in Copabacana there’s no getting away from harsh poverty: it is everywhere and influences everyone heavily.
for the moment i’m busy restyling my website completely. i hope it will be – at least partly – online soon. i still have to figure out some stuff, but it looks way better already and is much more practical. i hope to be of more service in that respect.
11.14.09Baracoa 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!
09.11.09Interview Lawrence & new book
an interview with Lawrence, published earlier this month, can be read – in Spanish – on Radio Baracoa’s website. he was invited there following the presentation of a new book about painters originally from or still living in Baracoa. the book – Baracoa de Cuba – La Magia de sus Pintores -, has been released by The St. Augustine – Baracoa Friendship Association, and can be ordered here.
it’s a pretty funny interview. Lawrence is always upright and outspoken about things, especially when it comes to – his – art. the man doesn’t tolerate much bullshit. it’s nice to see him talking a bit about the start of his career and following success. i didn’t know Audrey Hepburn bought some of his paintings in the – i presume – eighties. i’ll ask him about that when i get the chance. maybe slowly a list will evolve where they all went.
08.5.09Archive Lawrence
three hundred and nine slides; the earliest being from 1970, until the last one dated 2004. spanning almost forty years of drawing and painting. finally i came around scanning them after having brought them with me in 2007, and having discussed them numerous times before with Lawrence. he handed them over in complete trust of which i ever will be grateful. but, before starting the actual work, i knew they had to be cleaned thoroughly first. front and back of each one were done with cotton swabs; getting the dust and grease off, and sometimes even the fungus. it helped a lot to regain their brightness. however, most remain in horrible condition. climate in Cuba is very humid and keeping them stored in sealed boxes doesn’t preserve their quality. some are damaged too, or have simply faded. a lot were shot out of focus. but, all in all i’m glad to see these paintings; they make me smile, saturated as they are with simplicity. especially the ones from the eighties i’m most fond of; they have a crudeness which perfectionate Lawrence’s naive style.
Obatalá, 1983
i had to make a choice on how far i would rework the scans. i decided to cut the edges pretty rough, to keep the attention on the paintings and not on the surroundings that were present in the slides as well. and as i’m not really a software expert who could do a much better job, i thought it would be best to only heighten the contrast and brighten the colors. not too much, though, as i don’t know how the paintings look like in real life, although i’m very familiar with Lawrence’s pallet. i must say, however, that the off-quality shown somehow even adds to their authenticity.
it is, of course, way more important to give the viewer an overall account of what Lawrence has been doing throughout his career, than keeping these in the drawer because of their poor quality. sliding through one can see how Lawrence – as an artist – developed himself. as you probably know, there is no such thing as valueing a work of art, whether it be in money or appreciation – and better would be both -, without knowing its context, evolution and influence.
a small representative selection can be seen on my website. unfortunately, the whereabouts of most paintings are unknown.
05.15.09Zúñiga
as a visitor commented on his work, it turned myself curious again to all thoughts and questions that were running through my mind for years, so inevitably i started digging and writing. i just wished i found more time and more appropriate words to describe it all, and do more research. the danger is that these things can swallow me whole because of my profound interest. that is a trap i have to be aware of. maybe someday i can present an essay about the man.
Changó, zincography – 20 x 27 cm, 1989 (own collection).
Changó sobre el chivo, acrylic on paper - 13 x 20 cm, 2003 (a friend of mine owns this one).
notice the differences of the figure? he has become less raw, more round, more feminine so to say: más suave. the colors cover up most but they are there. i noticed this comparing his paintings from the eighties and nineties with those of the new millennium.
i very much like the older and more harsh ones because the figures have a characterization that is more like that of the poor man, the helpless man finding his way around, although they represent Orishas. the rough and solitary surroundings that shape and feed their being and spirituality, the naked landscape one has to survive in. the African descent becomes much clearer, so to say, going back to the core. not that this lacks in his later paintings, not at all, but these seem more basic to me.
Lawrence’ was born and raised in Baracoa, a small coastal village in the east that for a long time was isolated from the rest of Cuba, as only one small dirt road over the mountains led to Guantánamo and the only other way to get anywhere was by sea. this didn’t change until the mid-sixties as ‘La Farola’ was constructed instead and later on a small airstrip was added.
Sangría, acrylic on canvas – 1998 (size and whereabouts unknown).
La Crucificíon, acrylic on canvas – 32 x 43 cm, 2004 (own collection).
both paintings above were made with only six years in between. they clarify much more what i am trying to say, don’t they? now six years is a short time frame to make such progress in one’s paintings. i mean the style was already there, the technique too, the subjects, the details. but he refined them heavily and made them more admissible in my eyes, without conforming intentionally. they have a much softer handwriting now, although the overall colors of his paintings have become fiercer.
although Lawrence’ considers himself a catholic and his subjects also include biblical scenes, one can’t really divide Santería into two seperate entities which form the basis of his artistry: catholicism and the yoruba legends. Orishas are his main theme.
the more recent figures may tend to be mistaken as shallow or cliche, because one is not used to them – adjusting always takes time. they can also be viewed, though, as a personal development: one turns older, maybe a bit melancholic. one becomes more aware, more transparent to life or how one lived it. they certainly give me the feeling of a ‘higher’ level of understanding, of knowing, of love even. that’s what made me jump anyway, when i saw ’La Crucificíon’ the first time. the man outdone himself after already having a career of 30+ years.
04.19.09Lawrence’ latest
just a snapshot of his latest work, commissioned by a big Hotel in Varadero - Cuba’s most famous resort located on a peninsula not far from Havana. both paintings are measuring 1.10 x 80 cm. he’s working feverishly toward a deadline, and meanwhile complaining like always – the man is turning 69!
Ochún – Ochún seeks refuge for the advances of Ogún by diving into the river. Yemayá saves her from drowning and ever since, she is the patroness of all rivers. Goddess of love. Always well dressed – except here - and in for a party. She is in love with Changó and intimate friend of Eleguá. Like her sister Yemayá, she is very tender and helps pregnant women giving birth. Her colour is yellow – hence the symbolic sunflowers.
Eleguá – Keyholder to destiny with which he opens all doors to the future, as well as to fortune and misfortune. He stands on the crossroad between heaven and earth, and is the messenger between those two worlds. He is the indispensable guide to avoid obstacles in life. His colours are red and black, symbolizing life and death. At the same time he can appear as an old man and as a young child, always happy and cheerful. A teller of gruesome and beautiful stories. He symbolizes the coexistence of all good and bad. Ruler of luck in all its forms and all choices that life presents us – this one still needs finishing as you can see.
last time around i took with me his archive of slides going back to the late seventies. his work is scattered around Cuba and the rest of the world, but the exact location of most is unknown. the man paints and sells, he doesn’t bother to keep track. luckily he made pictures of his paintings throughout the years, which i’ll digitize and upload a selection of on my website. to see this body of work spanning almost 40 years is absolutely brilliant. his theme didn’t change at all, he stayed true to his art but developed it into a kinder, more subtle, even more mature version one might say. in the last decade – one has to compare - he even managed to refine this.
for the ignorant outsider his work seems fairly general at first glance. most can’t deal with the fierce colors or the childish outlines, saying most of the time it lacks depth. however, without background knowledge of his themes and Lawrence’ role and influence in Cuban naive art, or even naive art as a whole, one simply doens’t pay the man the respect he deserves. funny thing is that with all painters who made it to fame and heavily relied on the primitive arts – usually being African as with Lawrence’ -, their source and inspiration often gets neglected or even completely ignored. the public tends to admire something new brought to their attention and perspective, when in fact it simply isn’t.
one can ask oneself what is authentic in the world of art: the man living it, or the man copying it and giving it an intellectual or popular twist? one can ask oneself what is more important: the artist having the roots and creating art through his deepest beliefs, or the one having easier access to academics, professional critics and well-known galleries that control the market and dominate the public debate. skills i don’t even get into; this man has them. he definitely mastered his style and technique.
there has been written enough about Lawrence – although mainly in Spanish - but recognition is still not what it ought to be. i’m just contributing my part. click his name upper right for more if you’re interested.
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