Humberto Calzada (1944 - present) was born in Havana, Cuba on May 25, 1944. He is known principally for acrylic paintings showing architectural images or themes of the infinite in a hard-edge style, as in his series of the 1980s
A World Within, which employs a 'painting-within-a-painting' technique.
(Calzada, Huberto. Years of Discourse. [Right Panel]
c. 1990. acrylic on canvas.)
Calzada immigrated to the United States in 1960 and settled in Miami. He received a B.A. in 1966 in Industrial Engineering, followed by an M.B.A. in 1986 in Finance from the University of Miami.
(Calzada, Huberto. Years of Vision. [Middle Panel]
c. 1990. acrylic on canvas.)
As a self-taught artist, he began painting in 1972 and he exhibited in Miami at the Barcardi Gallery in 1975. Since 1976 he has become a full-time painter in great demand.
(Calzada, Huberto. The Dreamt Compass.
c. 1988. acrylic on canvas.)
His work has been said to carry on the classical Latin American artistic tradition which includes dreamlike realism, the tension created by the contrast between calm and conflict, and the use of timeless symbols as a universal language.
(Calzada, Huberto. El Mistero Del Tiempo: El Anochecer.
c. 2005. acrylic on canvas.)
Calzada depicts harmony through the use of natural elements, and he depicts conflict through the opposition of the ephemeral movement of light and water against the static force of stone and glass. Calzada draws upon the Renaissance perspective, although the buildings that he depicts are non-functional.
(Calzada, Huberto. Island in Crisis.
c. 2005. acrylic on canvas.)
These buildings are comprised of detached facades and windows, labyrinthine walls and stairs, and portions of columns arranged in courtyards, with projections of shadow and perspective. Throughout his career, Calzada has consistently applied Latin American art themes through architectural imagery.
(Calzada, Huberto. Flood. c. 1990. acrylic paint on canvas.)
Calzada has exhibits have been viewed throughout the Americas, and his work is held in a number of museums including the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. His work is much appreciated here!
Enjoy :)
