Rafael Soriano

Rafael Soriano, a pioneer of Latin American modernism, infused his work with explorations of spiritualism to uncover the vastness that lies in the human experience and its inevitable presence in the arts. spent seven years studying at the School of Visual Arts, San Alejandro he graduated to pursue a career as an artist, and Professor of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture (1941). He went on to act as a founding member and educator and the School of Fine Arts in Matanzas, cementing his legacy as a leading figure in Cuban art. Soriano created a body of work that aims to showcase the luminosity of raw existence, memory, or emotion, translated for terrestrial consumption through each surrealistic composition. The use of stark, abyss-like backgrounds to frame his subjects, and the meticulous layering of paint have classical roots evoking the atmosphere found throughout the Renaissance, revamped with an introspective lens developed by modern theology.