El Exodo Cubano

The second piece of art that appealed to me was called El Exodo Cubano or the Cuban Exodus. This painting was made in 1963 by Asilia Guillen, who is from Nicaragua. This painting was made of oil on canvas. It is a moderately sized painting, about two feet in width and a foot in height.

I liked this painting because of the intricate detail in the vast landscape of Cuba and detail of the tiny people fleeing. There were several paintings in the museum that caught my eye; this was one of them because it sort of just popped out at me. It popped up at me because of the various colors utilized in the painting. I thought that the water in the painting was so blue and clear. Guillen uses so many eye catching colors; they are vibrant and full of life. There’s green and brown in the middle; blue in the ocean, and yellows, reds, oranges, grays and whites in the whole painting.

I believe this painting depicts the serious nature of the Cuban exodus. It is evident that the people in the painting feel an overwhelming sense of desperation. Cuba in the painting, is still evolving; it is still has its basis in agriculture and farming, something that doesn’t seem to satisfy the people and their needs. People want to leave; one group is even leaving on a barrel. The desperation is also seen in the people waiting at the edge of the shore while others leaving are waving white rags. The seriousness of the painting is also evident in the scene on the bottom left hand side where there is, what I think, cannons firing at people. This fits the desperation of the people to flee the country. Overall, the painting delivers a message of great sadness as the people in Cuba flee from its terror.