Un Lugar Distante (A Distant Place)

Rafael Soriano, Un Lugar Distante (A Distant Place), 1972, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Milagros Soriano, 2012.31.1, © 1972, Rafael Soriano
Copied Rafael Soriano, Un Lugar Distante (A Distant Place), 1972, oil on canvas, 29 3⁄4 x 39 5⁄8 in. (75.6 x 100.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Milagros Soriano, 2012.31.1, © 1972, Rafael Soriano

Artwork Details

Title
Un Lugar Distante (A Distant Place)
Artist
Date
1972
Location
Dimensions
29 3⁄4 x 39 5⁄8 in. (75.6 x 100.6 cm)
Copyright
© 1972, Rafael Soriano
Credit Line
Gift of Milagros Soriano
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Object Number
2012.31.1

Artwork Description

Un Lugar Distante (a distant place) functions both as a memory of a lost land and a gateway to new creative adventures. After migrating to Miami in 1962 in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, Rafael Soriano embarked on a semi-abstract visual vocabulary that helped him to channel his feelings of loss and nostalgia into a process of spiritual renewal. The radiant oranges and rich browns in the painting suggest the sultry climate of the Caribbean, but the futuristic shapes that make up Soriano's landscape indicate a journey into undiscovered realms. 
Description in Spanish

Después de inmigrar a Miami en 1962 a raíz de la revolución cubana, Soriano emprendió un nuevo vocabulario visual semiabstracto que le ayudó a transformar sus sentimientos de nostalgia por su hogar y su país en un proceso creativo de renovación espiritual. Los amarillos fogosos, naranjas radiantes e intensos marrones sugieren el abrasador clima del Caribe, pero el carácter fantástico del paisaje indica una travesía personal hacia mundos inéditos, repletos de matices cósmicos.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

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Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

Exhibitions

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Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
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Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

Related Posts

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Florencia Bazzano-Nelson recently joined the Smithsonian American Art Museum. A scholar of Latin American and Latino art, Bazzano-Nelson is assisting in the preparation of the upcoming exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, opening October 25, 2013. In this blog post Bazzano-Nelson considers the paintings of Rafael Soriano, who like other Cuban American artists, actively explored the theme of exile.
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