Osvaldo Gutiérrez

OSVALDO GUTIÉRREZ ALEMAN (Cuba, 1917–1997).
Untitled, 1948.
Oil on canvas.
The frame is damaged.
Signed and dated in the lower section.
Measurements: 85 x 60 cm; 95 x 70 cm (frame).
Created in 1948, this work reflects Osvaldo Gutiérrez Alemán’s interest in the avant-garde movements that revitalized Latin American art during the first half of the 20th century. The composition is built through a marked geometrization of forms and a network of black lines that fragment the figure and space, evoking the principles of Cubism. However, far from limiting himself to mere geometric experimentation, the artist preserves the recognizable presence of the human figure, integrating it into a setting where architecture, vegetation, and color merge into a single visual language.
The work dates from a period of great vitality in Cuban art, when numerous artists were seeking to define their own visual identity by combining the influences of the European avant-garde with the themes and sensibilities of the Caribbean context. In this sense, the figure depicted seems to form part of the urban landscape, establishing a dialogue between the individual and their surroundings through a dynamic composition and an intense chromatic harmony dominated by blues, greens, ochres, and reds.