Political Influences in Cuban Art
“A question of major importance in Cuban culture is the link between radical political and artistic positions…where culture carries a marked social edge attuned to the circumstances in which it is produced and where it is forced to construct a national identity in the face of colonial and neo colonial powers.”
In the 1980s when the New Cuban Art Movement was consolidated many still hoped to establish the Third World utopia of social justice promised by the Cuban revolution. While Cuba shares many characteristics with other Latin American countries three factors guarantee it a unique placement amongst the formerly colonized countries of the Americas: 1. Spain continued emigration to Cuba in large numbers until the middle of the twentieth century. 2. The native population was eliminated in the 17th century. 3. Cuba possesses the most varied cultural traditions of all the African diaspora in America.
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