|
|
 |
The Cuban's love of life is apparent in the visual arts, among other areas. At the end of the 1930's, when Cuban painters began to develop a national school of painting and to become known in the United States, critics discovered a manifestation of the Cuban personality in their unique and abundant use of color. Beginning in 1937, the painter Daniel Serra Badué (1914) held noteworthy exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Washington, and in 1938 won a Guggenheim scholarship to study fresco painting in the academies of New York. At a show held in New York in 1944 at the Museum of Modern Art, which was entitled "Modern Cuban Painters," the North American critics discovered that the painters on exhibit were "a little drunk with color." "It is untrammeled joyful color," one said at the time, "which most sharply distinguishes them as a school. Here is a painting in which the specific, the subtle and the tragic play small roles. But we may be grateful for that reckless exuberance, gaiety, candor and love of life which the Cuban painters show perhaps more than the artists of any other school." It is not difficult to understand why this judgment was made when one views some of the works on display: "The Rape of the Mulatas," by Carlos Enríquez (1901-1957), who had studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; "The Sugar Cane Cutters," by Mario Carreño (1913), and "The Sisters," by Amelia Peláez (1897-1968), both from the Art Students League of New York; "María Luisa Gómez Mena," by Cundo Bermúdez (1914); and "The House of the Carolina Tree," by Felipe Orlando (1911).
At that time, the principal galleries in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. were interested in Cuban painters, and museums in these and other cities (Baltimore, Chicago and Brooklyn) acquired Cuban paintings for their collections. In the mid-1950's, when the Museum of Modern Art in New York made its selection of the greatest contemporary masters (samples to be exhibited at a show in Paris), the curator included "The Jungle" ("La Jungla"), by the Cuban Wifredo Lam (1901-1983), whom Picasso considered the finest painter of the century after Miró. Lam later was Artist-in-Residence in 1958 at the Art Institute of Chicago, and was elected a member of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts. Thus the Cuban Baroque, which was light transformed into colors, achieved universal prestige.
Cuba's greatest Maecenas in the visual arts, Oscar B. Cintas (1887-1957), who had studied at Harvard University and made a fortune in business in Cuba, created a promising future for the paintings of Cubans in this country by leaving a good portion of his money to assist Cubans who were studying or working in the United States (including writers, musicians and architects). The Foundation he created, which bears his name, is administered by the Institute for International Education in New York. To date the Cintas Foundation has awarded over 250 scholarships.
|
|
Cuban painters who worked in the United States or who had other contacts with this country, did a great deal to increase understanding of the wealth of Cuban artistic talent. But others made similar contributions in different fields. One example is Jorge Bolet (1914), whose career as a young concert pianist began in Cuba before he came to the United States to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. There, under the direction of David Sapperton, he honed the skills that have brought him recognition as one of the world's leading interpreters of Liszt. Another example, in a very different field, is Desi Arnaz (1917-1986), who, at the age of fifteen was brought to Miami with his father, who was a political exile. It was in Miami that the young Arnaz began his career as a musician, dancer and actorCa career that took him later to New York and Hollywood. During the Second World War, in which he served as a sergeant, he worked with the USO entertaining American troops. After the war he became one of America's early television stars, with his program "I love Lucy," which was the first to be produced before a "live" audience. By 1952 the program, which popularized the image of the carefree Cuban, was being seen weekly by a record 30 million Americans. Still another example is Alicia Alonso (1920), who came to the United States to study ballet and was accepted at the School of American Ballet in New York. Her first claim to prominence came with her acclaimed performance of "Giselle" in 1943 at the Metropolitan Opera House. As a prima ballerina of the American Ballet Theater, she later performed in this country, in Cuba and throughout the world. In 1948 she founded her own school in Cuba.
In the years prior to 1959, Cubans also proved themselves outstanding in other areas of life in the United StatesCsports. Cubans on the island lost no time in developing a sports and games tradition. Before the Republic was thirty years old, the Cubans already boasted a world champion in chess, José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942); one in fencing, Ramón Fonst (1883-1959); two in billiards: Alfredo de Oro and Raimundo (Mundito) de Campanioni; a champion pitcher of the major leagues in 1923 and 1925, Aldolfo (Dolph) Luque (1890-1957); and a winner of the World Featherweight crown, Kid Chocolate (1910).
The young people who had studied at schools and universities in the United States in the nineteenth century had taken baseball to Cuba. Already by 1878 professional games were being played in Havana, but the Spanish banned the sport, claiming that it was a forum for conspiracy. With independence, baseball took on great importance, producing top-notch players. Luque, as pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, was one of the first to open the way for other Cuban ballplayers in the major leagues. Another pioneer was Miguel Angel (Mike) González (1892-1977), basically with St. Louis from 1912 to 1932, and considered one of the greatest professional catchers of his time, and Martín Dihigo (1907-1971), who was inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1977. Other stars followed: Conrado Marrero (1915), Napoleón Reyes (1919), Orestes (Minnie) Miñoso (1922), Edmundo Amorós (1932), Camilo Pescual (1934).
|
|
Kid Chocolate was one of the great boxers of all times. "The Cuban Bon Bon" was so admired by boxing fans in this country that his matches in the 1930s produced record turnouts; once he became champion, he made a million dollars for Madison Square Garden in ten fights. It was an unheard amount for that time. When Chocolate returned to Cuba in 1938, he became head instructor of the National Boxing Academy in Havana. Years later, another great black Cuban fighter, Kid Gavilán (1926),"The Cuban Hawk," followed in Kid Chocolate's footsteps, winning the welterweight championship in 1949. He became famous for his "bolo" punch and his windmill attack, and also because in 143 professional bouts, he was never knocked out. Both athletes were inducted into the US. Boxing Hall of Fame, Chocolate in 1959 and Gavilán in 1966.
In addition to its history and customs, a people is known for its music. There has been no artistic manifestation of the Cuban in this country which has had as much influence for as long a period of time as popular music. Although Cuban music is appreciated worldwide, the United States is perhaps the country which has shown the greatest and most continuous proof of its appreciation, for the longest time. The magic of Cuban music began to captivate North Americans in 1917, when the composer and pianist, Ernesto Lecuona (1896-1963), made his debut at the Aeolian Hall in New York. On that and other occasions this musician, who was admired by Paderewsky, Ravel and Rubinstein, popularized his repertoire in the United StatesCa repertoire that included "Siboney," which was recorded by his compatriot, Rita Montaner (1900-1958), after she toured the United States with "Schubert's Follies." Another of Lecuona's pieces, "Para Vigo me voy," which literally means "I'm going to Vigo" (a city in Spain), was translated as "Say sí sí," and was performed and danced frequently during the 1930's. By that time, Cuban music was very well known and, in fact, bands came over from Cuba, popularizing Cuban rhythms in the principal cities of the United States. This period boasts two songs by Moisés Simons (1889-1945): "El Manisero" ("The Peanut Vendor") —also recorded in New York and popularized worldwide by the singer Rita Montaner—, whose rhythm influenced a number of musical compositions, and "Marta," which was popularized by the Italian tenor, Beniamino Gigli, and in different arrangements performed by various North American bands.
|
|
By 1950 Cuban music had become part of the regular repertoire of the big bands: Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Dorsey and Cab Calloway, among others; the public requested Cuban songs, which they particularly enjoyed in special arrangements. As a result, Gonzalo Roig's (1890-1977) song "Yours," Nilo Meléndez's (1916) "Green Eyes," René Touzet's (1915) "Let Me Love You Tonight," Osvaldo Farrés' (1902-1985) "Come Closer to Me," and the interpretations of Miguelito Valdés (1916-1978) in "Babalú," of Chano (Luciano) Pozo (1915-1948) in "Manteca" and of Armando Orfiche (1911) in "Rumba colorá" (Red Rhumba) became famous. Thus, North American and Cuban music influenced each other and the fusion produced the musical revolution of the mambo. When its inventor, Dámaso Pérez Prado (1916), arrived in this country, the mambo was already popular, and this Cuban composer had the honor of selling the greatest number of recordings of Latin music. The American Association of Critics named his band the most popular band of 1955; his record "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" won RCA's golden record award for selling almost two million copies; and other records of his were sold in incredible numbers for that eraCfive million copies. The mambo was followed by the cha-cha-cha, which also became popular in the United States and which became required fare in dance academies. A particular favorite was "Sweet and Gentle," by Ortilio del Portal.
Cuban popular music was also an inspiration to classical composers in the United States. Just as Darius Milhaud included themes and rhythms from the danzón "Triunfadores," written by Antonio María Romeu (1876-1955), in his "Saudades do Brasil," George Gershwin introduced the son "Échale salsita," by Ignacio Piñeiro (l888-1969), in his "Cuban Overture" and Aaron Copland used the melody of the danzón "Almendra," by Abelardo Valdés (1911-1958), in his "Danzón Cubano." Classical compositions of Cuban composers also found favor among American performers and music publishers: the music of Amadeo Roldán (1900-1939) was part of the repertoire of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, among others, and his pieces "Motivos de Son" and "Piezas infantiles" were published in New York. The music of Alejandro García Caturla (1906-1940) was even better known here both because of the interest taken in the Cuban composer by Edgar Varèse and because García Caturla's works were published by the Pan-American Association of Composers.
In the words of a song popular among today's Cuban refugees, "El son se fue de Cuba" ("Cuban music has left Cuba")Can apt way to refer to the large number of artists and composers who have been forced to emigrate to escape the stifling lack of freedom. Cuban rhythms may have left Cuba, but they have not left the United States, where they can be found in salsa. There is clearly an Afro-Cuban base to salsa, as well as a merging of other influences from the Antilles. As in other areas where, throughout this century, Cubans have had a positive influence, their participation in music, painting and sports continues to affect U.S. life.
Beginning in 1959, in a manner reminiscent of emigration during the period of Spanish rule and during the wars for independence, Cubans began fleeing the country. Ultimately Cuba lost ten percent of her population in this wave. Before 1959, there were no more than 35,000 Cubans in the United States; now that total approaches one million, including the 120,000 who escaped in 1980 in the Mariel boat lift. Thus Cubans, who constitute the largest political migration to the United States, have become the third largest Spanish-speaking group in American society.
Although the greatest concentration of Cubans has always been in southern Florida and Puerto Rico, due primarily to the similarity of climate with that of Cuba, many Cubans have also settled in the Northeastern states, particularly in New Jersey and New York. Miami, one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, has been transformed into a bilingual city, a condition which has facilitated business and communications with other Latin American countries. Thus, as in the past, Cubans continue to serve as the most active and secure bridge to understanding between the two Americas.
Since Cubans living in the United States represent a cross-section from a nation which had achieved 1959 a high level of cultural and economic development, their activities have been noteworthy. While hundreds of thousands of workers have served to enrich the labor force of this country, thousands of businessmen and industrialists are today self-made successes, with thriving and productive enterprises; thousands of professionals are employed in private corporations and by the government; and there are thousands of doctors in private practice and in hospitals, as well as teachers instructing students at all levels of the educational system.
The variety of Cubans who live in the United States today makes theirs a very visible presence: they can be found in important positions in local and federal governments and among political groups; they are advisors and executives for various institutions and companies; they appear in the arts, sports, radio, film and television. They are, however, also average citizens: members of the community, of religious groups, the "guy next door," the sales assistant, the office worker, and the waiter. In areas with the greatest concentration of Cubans, they run schools, newspapers, cultural and public welfare organizations, and recreation clubs.
It becomes easier with time to study groups of immigrants, because over the years one can see more clearly how the immigrants change as a result of their experience with their new environment and how their adopted home is affected by them in turn. Cuban refugees who arrived in this country beginning in 1959 have followed in the footsteps of their ancestors in many respects and in many others they have broken new ground. In addition to what was said at the beginning of this study, any judgment from one of their number is apt to be suspect. Under the circumstances, it is best to turn to some views expressed by Americans on Cubans in the United States today. In a speech to Cuban exiles, President Ronald Reagan said:
Many of you arrived in this country with little more than the shirt on your back and a desire to improve your well-being and that of your family. You came with a willingness to work and, yes, a consuming passion for liberty. People from every walk of life, of every race and family background, have made their mark in just about every corner of American society.... Clearly, this country in America, the United States, has been good for you. But you have also been good for all of America and for the United States. Cuban-Americans play a unique role in the preservation of our freedom. Your Hispanic heritage enables you to better relate our good will to our friends in neighboring countries to the south.
On another occasion Vice George Bush said:
Cuban-Americans serve as outstanding reminders of what democracy and independence mean... The success stories of Cuban-Americans and their contributions to our society reinstill in all Americans a faith in our country and the democratic system. These same stories of success provide a shining example to the rest of the world that opportunity, independence, creativity and prosperity are the merits of democracy.
And the governor of Florida, Bob Graham, had these words to say about Cubans in Miami:
The arrival of the Cuban community after the Castro takeover has allowed my hometown of Miami to achieve its long-proclaimed but unsubstantiated desire to become a truly international city. The Cubans have brought an enthusiastic spirit and a passion for life along with a level of prosperity that has benefited an entire community.
Similarly, Thomas Kean, the governor of New Jersey, which also has a large Cuban population, has stated that "the Cuban community is a vibrant part of our state's cultural, social and business life. The Cuban people have contributed a great deal to New Jersey, and have compiled an outstanding record of citizenship and achievement.
And finally, according to Ed Koch, the Mayor of New York City, "The story of the Cuban community in the United States is one of the best possible advertisements for American freedom and democracy. Forced to flee their homeland after the communist takeover in 1959,they came here and, in a brief period of time, made use of the great opportunities which this country offers. They achieved remarkable prosperity in the process, earning the recognition of all Americans."
These views should provide a fair indication of what the overall picture of "Cubans in the United States" will be once enough time has passed so that the picture can include those who came after, as well as before, 1959. Like the majority of their ancestors who emigrated to this country, those Cubans who live in the United States today left their homeland because of a lack of liberty. As Martí said, "Man loves liberty, even if he does not know that he loves it, and he is driven by it and flees from where it does not exist."
|
|
