3 July 2014

For anyone passionate about graphics, ¡Mira Cuba! is a volume to be cherished: it covers the whole epic story of the Cuban poster, commencing in 1959, the year of the revolution that brought Castro to power. In the new Cuba, the poster was given the task of educating people, of launching campaigns to raise awareness, of bringing the ideals of the revolution to the fore. To achieve this, illustrators came up with a unique style, dominated by unadulterated colors and striking compositions. The book catalogues this great visual adventure (paying particular attention to illustration for the cinema), interspersing the images with essays by critics and historians of graphic design. But it is the words of the illustrator Antonio Pérez González that convey the true atmosphere of the time: “What I’ll never forget is the way we tackled life, with a surprising irony. It was a unique period, with all its material restrictions, because it obliged us to produce in a different way everything that came out of our hands and our minds. I could say that we had found so-called happiness.” Published by Silvana Editoriale.

Helena Serrano, Dia del guerrillero heroico 8 de octubre, 1968.

Olivio Martinez, Dia del guerrillero heroico 8 de octubre, 1973.

Aldo Amador, Venganza de Sandre, 1968.

Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, Por Primera Vez, 1968.

Rafael Morante, Cinemateca de Cuba, 1961.

Ernesto Padrón Blanco, Todos con Viet Nam, 1971.

Lázaro Abreu Padrón, Dia del guerrillero heroico 8 de octubre, 1960.

Antonio Pérez González Ñiko, Hasta la Victoria Siempre, 1968.

Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, Toni, te has vuelto loco, 1971.

Julio Eloy Mesa, El deporte predilecto del hombre, 1974.

Raúl Oliva, Lagrimas en el lago, 1968.

Antonio Reboiro, Carmen, 1970.

Antonio Pérez González Ñiko, Gogota, 1968.

Raul Martinez, Camillo Cienfuegos, 1969.

Alfrédo Rostgaard, Cristo guerrillero, 1969.