José Manuel Acosta | |
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| Born | December 2, 1895 |
| Died | February 28, 1973 (aged 77) |
José Manuel Acosta y Bello was a Cuban painter, photographer, cartoonist, sculptor, and artist.
José Manuel Acosta | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | December 2, 1895 |
| Died | February 28, 1973 (aged 77) |
José Manuel Acosta y Bello was a Cuban painter, photographer, cartoonist, sculptor, and artist.
He graduated with first letters from a Catholic Seminary. [1] After graduating, he became a clerk of an "old style" business house, commission agent, bookkeeper, used car salesman, alcohol tax inspector, and failed business shareholder. [1]
His brother was the famous Cuban poet Agustín Acosta Bello - who was the National Poet of Cuba before the Cuban Revolution. [1] [2] Acosta would often illustrate his brother's poems that would appear in magazines like Social and Carteles. By the age of 35, he had submitted at least 35 drawings to Conrado Massaguer to be reviewed and printed in Social alongside his brother's work. [1]
In 1930, Acosta traveled to New York City to work out of the Social bureau there. He moved into residence on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. [3] From New York, he contributed images of New York, and images of modern airplanes for Social. [3]
Acosta also helped Massaguer design some of the covers of Social. [4]
Acosta was a great personal friend of José Zacarías Tallet, and also illustrated many of his poems. [1]
He illustrated a book for someone who went by the moniker of "The Fichista."
The magazine Social wrote of Acosta, that he had:
"a quick mind in the conception and execution of ideas, an absolute command of the technique of his profession, which qualifies him for the highest endeavors. Oh! and some "frescoes", unfortunately gone, living only in the memory of the very few who had the opportunity to admire and enjoy them. And a physical sciatica that he hopes to cure in cold climates." [1]
The writer and photographer Nelson Ramírez de Arellano of the Cuban magazine Revolución y Cultura , a Cuban state-sponsored magazine dedicated to glorifying the Cuban Revolution, writes of Acosta:
"...the pioneering work of José Manuel Acosta stands for its own right as a culminating point and vortex generator of the entire avant-garde [of Cuba], a man with a singular talent... his understanding of the conventional limits of photography and his ability to break them... although his career as a photographer was relatively short, if was very fruitful, and in all his work we can see the presence of a photographer of the constructivist avant-garde on par with its greatest examples. That is to say, there is not a single shot in any of his negatives that does not indicate the intention to revolutionize photographic composition and visual experimentation, there is not a minute of rest for a candid shot and an easy composition. We could randomly select any of his negatives... and we will always appreciate the same creative rigor that allows me to conclude that this photographer had a very clear conscience of his position in the world as an artist and of the relevance of his work and his artistic criteria." [5]
Grito de Lares, also referred to as the Lares revolt, the Lares rebellion, the Lares uprising, or the Lares revolution, was the first of two short-lived revolts against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico, staged by the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico on September 23, 1868. Having been planned, organized, and launched in the mountainous western municipality of Lares, the revolt is known as the Grito de Lares . Three decades after rebelling in Lares, the revolutionary committee carried out a second unsuccessful revolt in the neighboring southwestern municipality of Yauco, known as the Intentona de Yauco. The Grito de Lares flag is recognized as the first flag of Puerto Rico.
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owner in Cuba, freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War (1868–1878). This was the first of three wars of independence, the third of which, the Cuban War of Independence led to the end of Spanish rule in 1898 and Cuba's independence in 1902.
José Antonio Fernández de Castro was a Cuban journalist and writer active in the first part of the 20th century. He was a member of the Minorista Group, the Veterans and Patriots Movement, and participated in the Protest of the Thirteen. Every year, Cuba hosts a national journalism competition called the "José Antonio Fernández de Castro Journalism Award."
Cuban literature is the literature written in Cuba or outside the island by Cubans in Spanish language. It began to find its voice in the early 19th century. The major works published in Cuba during that time were of an abolitionist character. Notable writers of this genre include Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda and Cirilo Villaverde. Following the abolition of slavery in 1886, the focus of Cuban literature shifted. Dominant themes of independence and freedom were exemplified by José Martí, who led the modernista movement in Latin American literature. Writers such as the poet Nicolás Guillén focused on literature as social protest. Others, including Dulce María Loynaz, José Lezama Lima and Alejo Carpentier, dealt with more personal or universal issues. And a few more, such as Reinaldo Arenas and Guillermo Cabrera Infante, earned international recognition in the postrevolutionary era.
Jorge Mañach y Robato was a Cuban writer and attorney, considered among the most distinguished of his time.
Cuban art is an exceptionally diverse cultural blend of North American, South American, European, and African elements, reflecting the diverse demographic makeup of the island. Cuban artists embraced European modernism, and the early part of the 20th century saw a growth in Cuban avant-garde movements, which were characterized by the mixing of modern artistic genres. Some of the more celebrated 20th-century Cuban artists include Amelia Peláez (1896–1968), best known for a series of mural projects, and painter Wifredo Lam, who created a highly personal version of modern primitivism. The Cuban-born painter Federico Beltran Masses (1885–1949), was renowned as a colorist whose seductive portrayals of women sometimes made overt references to the tropical settings of his childhood.
Fernando Ramón Martínez Heredia was a prominent Cuban revolutionary thinker and politician. Martínez was a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party, and as a member of the July 26 Movement, he took part in the Revolution which overthrow the Batista dictatorship.
Raúl Corrales Fornos was a Cuban photographer. Since 1961 he was member of the Photography Section of the Union de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC).
Leonardo Morales y Pedroso was one of the most prominent Cuban architect in Cuba in the first half 20th century. In 1900 he entered and attended pre-university studies at De Witt Clinton High of New York, where he obtained a bachelor's degree. In 1909 he graduated of Bachelor in Architecture from Columbia University. After graduating, he returned to Cuba in 1909 where he worked a time in the local architect firm of Newton & Sola with the architect Thomas M. Newton, who was director of the civil construction section of the Secretary of Public Works during the 2nd American intervention in Cuba. In February 1910, he returned to the United States and obtained a master's degree (Doctor) in Architecture from Columbia University in the State of New York. After obtaining his doctorate in architecture he joined in March 1910 the architecture Company Morales y Mata arquitectos, created in 1907 by his elder brother the engineer Luis Morales y Pedroso in association with the master builder Jose F. Mata. In 1917, after having built more than 30 important buildings, they decided to separate from José Mata, who had to stop working because illness and died a short time later. The company changed its name for Morales y Compañia Arquitectos with his brother the engineer Luis Morales y Pedroso as president and Leonardo as Associate together with other 7 architects. He was able to obtain noteworthy real estate commissions partly because of his family's origin, good social connections and social standing in Havana high society. He was named by the Cuban press of the time as the "Havana's architect" and his architectural style is recognized as the "Morales style". During 50 years Leonardo Morales y Pedroso received around 250 notable architectural commissions, some of them include:
Ediciones El Puente was a literary project for young writers in Cuba just after the 1959 revolution. Between 1961 and 1965 they published each other's work, introduced dozens of new voices - among them poet and translator Nancy Morejón, playwright Gerardo Fulleda León, playwright-activist Ana Maria Simo and folklorist Miguel Barnet - and held readings and performances.
José Manuel Fors is a contemporary Cuban artist born in Havana in 1956. His work is principally based on installations and supported by photography. His first artistic forays, during the early eighties, were part of what has been coined "The Renaissance of Cuban Art". His artwork has been shown in renowned museums and galleries in the United States, Europe and Cuba.
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The following is a timeline of the history of Havana, Cuba.
Sarah Méndez-Capote y Chaple was a Cuban writer, poet, translator, suffragist, and feminist activist. She was the sister of writer Renée Méndez Capote.
Bohemia Magazine , is a Spanish language illustrated magazine based in Havana, Cuba, that was founded in 1908. It is the oldest general consumer magazine in Cuba, and the oldest magazine in all of Latin America. It provides articles relating to political commentary, long-form journalism, history, historical analysis, and fashion advice. It claims to be the first magazine to publish the work of Cuban artists in full color.
Agustín Acosta y Bello (1886–1979) was a Cuban poet, essayist, writer and politician. Acosta is considered by historians to be one of the most important Cuban writers of the twentieth century, and one of the three most important poets in the entire history of Cuba. Acosta was a revolutionary activist, and his poetry reflected his Cuban nationalism. He was both the National Poet of Cuba and also one of its Senators, when the Republic still existed. He won awards for his poetry, but also spent time as a political prisoner for criticizing the Cuban President. He lambasted the hegemonic powers of the United States in the Caribbean, but also went into exile there in the last years of his life.
Conrado Walter Massaguer y Diaz was a Cuban artist, political satirist, and magazine publisher. He is considered a student of the Art Nouveau. He was the first caricaturist in the world to broadcast his art on television. He was first caricaturist to exhibit on Fifth Avenue. He was the first caricaturist in the world to exhibit his caricatures on wood. He, and his brother Oscar, were the first magazine publishers in the world to use photolithographic printing.
Social was a Cuban magazine created by the brothers Conrado Walter Massaguer and Oscar H. Massaguer, and was one of the most important magazines in Cuba in the early half of the twentieth century. Through this magazine, Cuba was introduced to the Art Deco movement. Social was the first magazine in the world to use photolithographic printing.
Carteles was a Cuban magazine created by the famous brothers Oscar H. Massaguer and Conrado Walter Massaguer, who had already created the successful magazine Social. Carteles overtook Social, however, and gained the widest circulation of any magazine in Latin America. It became the most popular magazine in Cuba for a time, until that title was claimed by Bohemia. This magazine showcased Cuban commerce, art, sports, and social life. In the early half of the twentieth century, when Cuba was still a republic prior to the communist revolution, Carteles was immensely popular with the Cuban middle class. For most of its existence, it was helmed by the director Alfredo T. Quiléz.
The Minorista Group was an avant-garde group of Cuban artists, writers, philosophers, poets, and others collectively called the "vanguard of the intelligencia," active during the 1920s that had an enormous influence on events in Cuban politics and society in the early half of the twentieth century. The Minorista Group was founded in 1923 by Rubén Martínez Villena. The Minorista Group was created after the events of the Protest of the Thirteen, which had been led by Villena, and came to challenge the administration of Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. The original protest was against the sale of the Santa Clara convent by the government for corrupt purposes.
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