Casa de Velazquez

 Posted by on July 7, 2016
Jul 072016
 

Parque Cespedes
Santiago de Cuba

Casa de Velazquez

Diego Valazquez was the first governor of Cuba.  He was a cruel despot by all accounts, but his home, built in 1515 still stands as the oldest colonial-era house on the island.

The home is of the Mudéjar style (or Hispanic-Moorish).  This style is characterized by its balconies, carved ceilings and the intricate geometric patterns found in the tile, metalwork and even the furniture.

Celosos

These patterned wooden screens are called celosos.

The one outstanding characteristic of the Velazquez house are its celosos.  They greet you at the front door, covering the second floor balcony, and then are found throughout the house screening the walkways from the hot Cuban sun.

Ceilings of Casa Velazquez

The boat shape of the ceilings throughout the original house suggest that ship builders may have been involved in the building of this home.  The very intricate patterns of the ceiling timbers are derived from Arab architecture.  This joining of wood in intricate patterns hides the joining of short timbers.  This was only possible during the colonial period when wood was still abundant.

Casa Velazquez house cuba

These intricately carved ceilings are called alfarje. Alfarje (meaning paneled ceiling) is a type of horizontal wooden ceiling primarily found in Islamic and Spanish Moorish architecture. The ceiling structure is made through a series of beams called girders, sometimes intricately carved and stylized.

 

Alfarjes of Cuba

It is said that the lower floor contained the Crown’s Forge and Contract Office, while Diego Velazquez used the upper floor as his residence. Experts argue that in its backyard, which in the past led directly to the sea, there was a small fortress.

The second floor of what is said to be the house's gold forge.

On the second floor, looking down into  what is said to be the house’s gold forge.

Two letters by Don Diego to his Majesty Philip II as early as August 1519 mention that gold was being forged there.

 

Standing on the second floor of the original home

Standing on the second floor addition that connected the old home (on your right) with the original.

The home went under a complete restoration between 1965 and 1970. The restoration was overseen by professor Francisco Prat Piug. The house then opened as the Museum of Cuban Historic Ambience.

One of the many chandeliers throughout the 19th century addition

One of the many chandeliers throughout the 19th century addition

The complex includes a 19th century residence, said to be the home of a chandelier maker. A patio was added between the two homes at some time, but is not original to the 1700 structure.

The tile floor of the original home.

The tile floor of the original home.

A close up of the second floor door that can be seen from Park Cespedes.

A close up of the second floor door that can be seen from Park Cespedes.

The much later patio that sits between the two structures

The much later patio that sits between the two structures

Some of the pottery on display in the museum

Some of the pottery on display in the newer portion of the museum

Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

 Posted by on July 6, 2016
Jul 062016
 
Parque del Ajedrez or Chess Park

Santo Tomás and Enramada Streets Santiago de Cuba This small corner park was designed by American architect Walter Betancourt. Betancourt was born in 1932 in New York, son of Cuban parents that had escaped to Florida during the Cuban War for Independence. As a child of Cubans, Betancourt vacationed often in Cuba. After graduating with a degree in Architecture in 1956 from the University of Virginia, Betancourt entered the US Navy where he served, coincidentally enough, at Guantanamo.  Significantly, Betancourt was in Cuba during the July 26th coup attempt on the Moncada Barracks by Fidel Castro. After leaving the military Betancourt moved Continue Reading

The Knot

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
The Knot

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013, this sculpture is a result of the second Symposium.  

Clouds in the Mountains

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Clouds in the Mountains

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013. This sculpture is a result of the first symposium. The same year Negrin also had the entry Lluvia en la Cordillera  (Rain in Mountains) Continue Reading

Rain in the Mountains

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Rain in the Mountains

Santiago de Cuba In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013.  This sculpture is a result of the first symposium. Rene Negrin was born September 28, 1949.  He is a consulting Professor of Artes Plasticas Continue Reading

S. T. by Mario Trenard

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
S. T. by Mario Trenard

In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium, an homage to an artist and teacher who authored works as important as the Cuba’s Abel Santamaria Monument. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. The second Symposium was held in November of 2013. This sculpture is a product of the second Symposium Mario Trenard graduated as a sculptor from the Higher Art Institute (ISA, in Spanish). He is a member Continue Reading

Jose Maria Heredia – One of Cuba’s Great Poets

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Jose Maria Heredia - One of Cuba's Great Poets

Traffic Circle at Avenue Manduley and Calle 11 Santiago de Cuba According to Cuba Facts Jose Marie Heredia y Heredia  was born in Santiago de Cuba on December 31 1803, and lived a short thirty-five years, spending most of his adult life in exile. In 1818 he enrolled in the University of Havana as a law student, and it was about this time that he met Isabel Rueda, to whom he wrote and dedicated erotic poetry. His first dramatic effort (the play Eduardo IV o el usurpador clemente) was produced by a theatre group in Matanzas. On October 31 1820, his Continue Reading

Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

 Posted by on March 10, 2016
Mar 102016
 
Jose Marti by Alberto Lescay

Santiago de Cuba José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) is a Cuban national hero.  Martí is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American intellectuals. His written works consist of a series of poems, essays, letters, lectures, a novel, and even a children’s magazine. He wrote for numerous Latin American and American newspapers; he also founded a number of newspapers himself. His newspaper Patria was a key instrument in his campaign for Cuban independence. After his death, one of his poems from the book, “Versos Sencillos” (Simple Verses) was adapted to the song “Guantanamera”, which Continue Reading

Monumento al Cimmarón

 Posted by on July 31, 2015
Jul 312015
 
Monumento al Cimmarón

The Monumento al Cimarrón, by Alberto Lescay, or Monument to the Runaway Slave is in the Cuban town of El Cobre.  El Cobre is home to the cathedral that houses Cuba’s patron Saint the Virgin on Caridad. Lescay has said “I feel the spirit of that work in others and I think I’ve found a road, because it is a very open proposal, not at all schematic or dogmatic and those are very universal codes that are expressed in it.” Lescay goes on to say that being a cimmarón is an attitude toward life, and will continue to exist as Continue Reading

Iris Jazz Club

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Iris Jazz Club

Music: breathing of statues. Perhaps Silence of paintings. You language where all language ends. You time standing vertically On the motion of mortal hearts. by poet Rainer Maria Rilke  IRIS Jazz Club is a cultural complex located in front of  in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The space, originally a cafeteria, was turned into a jazz club with the specific purpose of promoting jazz in the area. Santiago de Cuba is celebrating their 500th year in 2015. These bronze panels were the work of Santiago born artist Alberto Lescay’s Caguayo foundation to mark this celebration. The program costs 125,400 Continue Reading

Germinal*

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Germinal*

Eulises Niebla born in 1963 in Matanzas Cuba, studied at the  Escuela Provincial de arte in Matanzas, Cuba from 1975-1979, He then went on to the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) Havana from 1980-1984 and then to the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). in Havana from 1984-1989 A contemporary Cuban artist Niebla works with industrial materials to create geometric three-dimensional objects, which are then painted in bright colours. These objects have been likened to the forms in children’s playgrounds and belong to an established constructivist tradition in Latin America that pushes the boundaries of the art object and encourages the spectator to participate in Continue Reading

Outer Harmony

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Outer Harmony

  In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. Armonía Exterior was a result of the 2013 Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project were put around Santiago de Cuba. Ramon Casas graduated from the National School of Arts (ENA) in Havana in 1976, he then went on to study at the Higher Arts Institute (ISA) in Havana, Cuba and graduated in Continue Reading

Arco

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Arco

In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals. Arco was a result of the 2013 Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project are put around Santiago de Cuba. Jose Villa has two pieces in Havana that have been in this website before and that you can read about here. Santiago de Cuba native José Ramón Villa Soberón ( September 2, 1950) is Continue Reading

Nature

 Posted by on April 22, 2015
Apr 222015
 
Nature

This piece, titled Nature, is by Juan Quintanilla. In December of 2010, the city of Santiago de Cuba held its first Rene Valdes Cedeño Public Sculpture Symposium. Sponsored by the Caguayo Foundation and the Advisory Council for the Development of Public Sculptures and Monuments, the symposium seeks to promote sculpting in marble and metals.  Nature was a result of the Symposium, the pieces that came out of the project were put around Santiago de Cuba. Juan Quintanilla studied at the School of Visual Arts in Pinar del Rio in 1965.  He went on to get a graduate degree in Sculpture from Continue Reading

Antonio Maceo

 Posted by on April 21, 2015
Apr 212015
 
Antonio Maceo

This piece, titled Antonio Maceo sits in Revolution Square in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.  Created by Alberto Lescay, a Santiago born artist, it was installed in 1991.  This monument is dedicated to the 19th century war hero, General Antonio Maceo. Saw-toothed “machetes” rise from the grass and surround a large sculpture of the General on horseback.   graduated with a degree in Painting  in 1968 from the  “José Joaquín Tejada” Fine Arts Workshop; In 1973 he added a degree in Sculpture from the “Cubanacán” National Art School.  He became an Art Professor in 1979 at “Repin” Academy of Sculpture, Architecture, Painting and Continue Reading

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