After the revolution of 1959, Cuba developed a new visual language that expressed an enthusiasm for change. Graphic design was one of many artistic outlets Cuban designers channeled their individual freedom. Although most of the graphic work, between 1960-70s, advertised political and marketing conventions, many were printed for foreign films that were exhibited by the Instituto Cubano del Arte e la Industria Cinematográficos (Cuban Institute of Cinema Art and Industry). The ICAIC was established after the revolution of 1959, and today holds an extensive collection of over 1,500+ original silk-screened film posters produced over the last four and a half decades.
Antonio Pérez (Ñiko) González, renowned graphic designer and professor, created this poster for a Japanese film, titled The Stranger within a Woman, which was re-titled La Linea Delgada (The Thin Line) for the Spanish release. González represents the plot of the film through a compelling composition of a line, snaking through the center of a black background. The line is symbolic of the female protagonist’s infidelity, which provokes her husband to strangle her to death; the red contour symbolizes this tension. González’s stylistic playfulness speaks beyond the traditional film still depicted in most posters today. With little graphic information and bold use of color, one can imagine the dark tone of the film. González understands color associations and the power of line, which he masterfully combines to create something simple and evocative.
The line appears to continue beyond the poster’s borders. Cuban graphic designers, too, went beyond the expected and tapped into the surreal; their expressions are vibrant, and rich in artistic freedom. Perhaps film posters today should revive these graphic practices, yet it takes one to have lived in this political and social context to truly understand that minimalism works.
Carolina Valdes-Lora is a Masters student in the History of Decorative Arts and Design program at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum/Parsons the New School for Design. With a fine art and design background from RISD and Parsons, she aspires to pursue her interests in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century American and European design. Additionally, her Cuban-Spanish heritage inspires her interests in Latin American art history. She is a MA fellow in the Drawings, Prints and Graphic Design Curatorial Department at Cooper-Hewitt, as well as an intern at Christie’s Auction & Private Sales, 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Department.