Jan Valdés Téllez

JAN VALDÉS TÉLLEZ (Havana, Cuba, 1979).
“The Jungle Went to Sleep,” 2026.
Oil on linen.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Signed, dated, and titled on the reverse.
Measurements: 81 x 162 cm.
This composition features a nude female figure in the foreground, whose pose deliberately references the vast repertoire of Venuses in the Western tradition. However, Jan Valdés Téllez moves away from the idealized representation of the classical nude and constructs a more complex image, in which echoes of Titian and Manet resonate, especially in the figure’s attitude and her direct relationship with the viewer. The mirror ceases to be an instrument of likeness and becomes a means of introspection and affirmation of identity. Beside her appears a hybrid angel, combining references to the Baroque angel, the jester, and folk sculpture. It does not act as a mere companion but actively participates in the scene, helping to transform and update a traditional imagery from art history.
One of the most significant elements is the vegetal landscape that envelops the composition, conceived as an exuberant, sensual, and almost invasive nature. In this regard, the dialogue with Wifredo Lam and his *La jungla* is particularly evident, both in terms of the density of vegetation and the conception of a hybrid, energy-charged nature. This reference also introduces a specifically Caribbean dimension and connects the European tradition of the nude with the tropical and mestizo sensibility of Cuban painting. The work is thus constructed as a dialogue between tradition and modernity, in which references to Titian, Velázquez, Manet, Picasso, and Lam converge. Through a textural brushstroke and successive layers of oil paint, Valdés Téllez reworks these references from a contemporary perspective, giving rise to an image in which mythology, sensuality, and nature intertwine to offer a renewed reflection on beauty and the representation of the body.
Jan Valdés Téllez is a Cuban-Spanish painter trained at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts and the Higher Institute of Art in Havana. He has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba and the 23rd and 12th Street Gallery in Havana, in addition to participating in international exhibitions in Spain, Canada, and the United States. His awards include the Arturo Montoto Painting Prize (2004) and the John Dalton “Gently Does It” Art Prize (2022). He has lived in Madrid since 2021.