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20th Century Latino Artists: Visual Art Reflecting American Culture from the Latino and Latin American Perspective

On the Frontier: The Art of José Bedia

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Great Work I'm Also Looking forward to start my new architecture project
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José Bedia
Born On January 13, 1959 In La Havana, Cuba, José Bedia Is A Contemporary Cuban Painter Known For His Neo-Primitivistic Figurative Style. Bedia Had A Love For Art From An Early Age, And Excelled In Several Different Art Forms Including Drawing, Comics And Illustration. A Talented Student, He Joined The Infamous San Alejandro Academy And Furthered His Skills And Talents During His Time There. He Moved On To Graduate With Honors From The Isa, Instituto Superior De Arte De La Habana In Cuba.
While still at the academy, Bedia had created a piece that came to be a very well known drawing that seemed to define him: "A perfectionist academic portrait, with an elongated style, portraying an Amerindian of the primitive tribes of the United States of America. In the portrait, the protagonist, an Indian figure riding a horse while shooting a gun is aiming backwards, as if turning his back towards the viewer (us)." His art teacher then inquired why he drew the Indian in such a manner, and his response 'defined his rebellious dissident ideology'. He paraphrased: “Because I’m on his side, the enemy is on the other side, so you can totally trust me.”
Bedia has gone on to create large-scale paintings throughout his career that are inspired by his Santeria faith, an amalgamation of Yoruba, indigenous, and Christian beliefs. His works have frequently depicted mythical elements, altars, and other sacramental imagery, often serving as a pointed critique of colonialism. The artist has shown work all over the world, notably including a solo show at the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles. Bedia also became known as a pioneer of the radical transformation of Cuban Art that inaugurated the Exhibition Volumen 1, which Bedia played an important role in. Drawing inspiration from many different parts of his culture and society, "his passion for the primal Amerindians complemented his anthropological studies on Afro-Transatlantic cultures, studying in depth the faith, beliefs and religion of the “La Regla Kongo” (in which he was initiated in 1983), the “ Regla de Ocha”, and the Leopard Society of Abakuas, among many others."
Bedia was also a part of the International Cultural Brigades, who supported the struggle of the Angolan-Cuban War against Namibia and South Africa. Through his experience he developed an interest in the African roots of American culture, which took him to several different countries around the world until he finally settled in Miami Florida. His vast worldly knowledge has now been expressed through his artwork, characterized by the mix of “storytelling” that he calls "informative lessons about the cosmogonic Universes of the ancestral cultures and the influence in popular cultures". Bedia's work has become largely successful with his art having been displayed around the world, both in public and private exhibits.
Bedia's art can be related to a lot of what is happening in our society today, especially the politics that came along with the new President. With pieces relating to faith and culture they depict different struggles people have with themselves and with society, as well as triumphs. His work makes the viewer think, and also has an underlying message of equality, in the way that we all live in this world and are all human beings together, no matter our differences.
In one of his best-known paintings, Figure Who Defines His Own Horizion Line (2011), the line of sight emerges from a colossal head and breaks at the wilting drapes of a flag.

Written by Megan Corcoran