Havana, Cuba. - Our beautiful Island, its colors and the talent of its people must have deeply seduced the old Europe 200 years ago, to make it sponsor the project of an arts school in Cuba, directed by French artist Jean Baptiste Vermay.
Symbol of aesthetic exquisiteness for its thorough teaching, the oldest institution of its kind in Latin America was founded at St. Agustin Convent, in Old Havana. Shortly after, it was named San Alejandro, in memory of Don Alejandro Ramirez, general superintendent and director of Amigos del Pais Royal Economic Society. After being moved through several buildings all over the city, it was finally established in 1962 at its current location, in the municipality of Marianao, west of Cuban capital city.
On the occasion of this anniversary, Radio Cadena Habana spoke with Lesmes Larroza, director of the institution, who elaborated on the important role played by the center in the cultural fabric of our country in all these years.
“It is 200 years of history that rest on the shoulders of Cuban culture and have done it for good. The role played by the institution in the training and consolidation of plastic and visual arts has been remarkable. Moreover, it has played a significant role in each era, through the contributions of its artists; that is, graduates and teachers. With regard to the evolution of the academy, we must bear in mind that it was created as a need of Europe; and its tastes and paradigms prevailed for many years. That’s why in its beginnings women, black and the poor could not be enrolled. Likewise, an European vision on art prevailed, both in creation and teaching.”
At what point did those concepts begin to change in San Alejandro?
“I believe 1878 was the turning point. A 10-years independence war had just ended on the island, in which equality of social rights was demanded. The first Cuban director came to the academy with that awakening of the nationalist spirit. There were several requirements to achieve such significant position, which included being an accomplished artist with prize-winning works and known in the main artistic and cultural circles of the country. The applicants had to take opposition exams. Miguel Melero was that first Cuban director of San Alejandro.”
Can it be said that from that moment and until today there has been a continuity in the teaching methods of the institution?
“Yes, undoubtedly; and we say that since Melero’s term in office, a new era of opportunities began in San Alejandro. I do not only mean the fact that women were accepted in the academy, but also that art was thereafter approached according to the taste and needs of creators born in this nation. San Alejandro has maintained its vision of the future in every social and cultural change from the colonial times to the present day, because art, as a means of expression, has always been at the forefront. I think that's why Cuban art today has been so legitimate, even where the market strongly prevails.”
Do you mean that the school we have today preserves the inheritance left by previous generations?
“Every stage brought about its peculiarities, but Cuban identity has always been upheld. There was a period in the middle of last century, when a process rich in nuances took place. The artists recognized as the first avant-garde, and then those of the second, were given elements of the most academic technique at the campus; but they simultaneously made a different kind of work, outside the premises of the institution, which dismantled these standards. They were produced in a version ranging from the cultured to the contemporary and we see the same thing today in our students. Thus, the students in the morning can take classes on natural drawing, while in the afternoon they have to dismantle that concept, because they are taught that doing the strokes well is not art; that creation involves other searches that everyone must find by itself.”
Can we say then that the institution has been characterized by the continued presence of prominent figures of Cuban Plastic Arts; as well as other national personalities who did not excel in that field, but because of their lofty humanism and sensitivity?
“In this regard, I can tell you that our archives contain dossiers from past times and we have found very interesting data. For instance, personalities like Ramiro Guerra, National Dance Award; outstanding journalist Guillermo Cabrera-Alvarez; Commander Camilo Cienfuegos; Eduardo Chibas, leader of the Orthodox Party, to which Fidel Castro belonged; troubadour Silvio Rodriguez; actress Raquel Revuelta and the Apostle of our Independence, Jose Marti, just to mention some of those figures that have unquestionably brought greatness to this campus in its bicentennial.”
Any academy of this type may be elitist, because of its peculiarities. Does that condition apply for San Alejandro?
“It's easy to be seen like that, but it does not work that way. The fact is that prestigious artists participate in its premises and display their works on a par with second or third year students, who can take very valuable class works to exhibitions. That’s why I believe that this academy provides legitimacy from the unusual, where the most accomplished feel committed to teaching the new generations. Likewise, in the summer, teachers give free workshops to different age groups of the community; that is, to amateurs of any origin who wish to attend these classes. What I do think is that the graduates of this center have been involved in different spaces of Cuban culture and it is easy to find them in the main institutes of the country.”
On the occasion of the bicentennial, there is a program to combine history with the present and guide the future of the academy. What were the most important moments of this celebration?
“Since last year, several actions have taken place in the academy. The lectures on the history of the institution have been remarkable, as well as the visits to the site where it was inaugurated and the recovery of archival documents that are exhibited in the showcases of the center to make them public, due to their importance. Likewise, many outstanding creators have exhibited in our galleries, as a token of gratitude to the institution that helped them grow in art.”
We thank Lesmes Larroza, director of San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts, for sharing with Radio Cadena Habana the celebration of the institution’s bicentennial. We congratulate him and all the staff and wish them the best.
Translated by Pedro A. Fanego
