Untitled 1954

Editor: We're looking at an Untitled mixed-media piece by Lolo Soldevilla, created in 1954. There's such a deliberate use of geometric forms; it almost feels architectural. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Considering Soldevilla’s context as a Cuban artist working in the mid-20th century, it's fascinating to view this through a socio-political lens. This aligns with the Concrete Art movement, a departure from representational art into pure abstraction. Notice how this challenges the traditional role of art as a tool for illustrating specific narratives, instead it operates on pure form. Does this, in any way, trigger in you the sense of "the new man" of the Revolution? Editor: That's interesting, I see it now. So it's not just about aesthetics, but about a shift in societal values, like rejecting the old order through abstract forms? Curator: Exactly. And the use of line, color and geometric composition places it, further, inside the constructivist dialogue, emphasizing that art has to act as an element for the configuration of a new social order, even though there might be a discussion on how successful or impactful that role can be in reality. What do you think about that relationship between art and political power at the time? Editor: It makes you wonder how revolutionary pure abstraction can really be if only a small percentage of people can interpret it and its references. Still, it offered freedom of expression at some degree and allowed artists to detach from previous aesthetic dictations. Curator: Precisely. The legacy of Concrete art in Cuba prompts crucial questions about the interplay between artistic autonomy, state ideology, and the public reception of art within specific historical and cultural contexts. Editor: It gives a new perspective on abstraction—it wasn't just about rejecting reality, but reshaping it. Curator: Indeed. A crucial takeaway about understanding abstraction through the lens of history is that we get to appreciate its active role in its time rather than judge it from the safety of ours.