Manipulation
Oil on Canvas
58" x 56"

Cesar Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba in 1961; his first encounter with the arts was through his uncle, a Cuban artist who learned his trade at the world-renowned San Alejandro Academy of Arts. Garcia moved to the United States in 1969 and has never been able to forget those moments that as a child he experienced in his uncle’s studio: images that live in him and are always a part of him.

Cesar Garcia’s passion for the arts has always lived in his heart and soul, every minute of his life. Garcia is self-taught; however, his fascination with the great masters has helped him better understand the need to express himself in a totally different form. His inclination is unique. His work is of a figurative nature in a surrealist style, which marks a panorama of creativity complex, yet, simple presentation of form and composition. Therefore, his work touches the inner soul of his Cuban culture with all its colorful, ethnic influences. The strokes of his brushes guide through a unique visual experience. One is strangely transposed into the magical marriage of a world of Afro-Cuban figures and Spanish heritage. His attack upon the painting’s surface is conceived after a process of inspiration from within. He analyzes his feelings and state of mind that preoccupies the artistic arrangement of figures, inner language and symbols. Garcia describes his work as being the ultimate antithesis of classical form. He paints with his soul and imagination and tells a story on every single occasion.

"Being an artist is an endless soul searching quest that never ends.
I create out of need and joy and it reflects in my work. In my work I lose myself from all mundane feelings and then I find myself in a whole new inner world of symbols, figures, forms, color and expression of my ultimate intimacy.

To be self-taught is an advantage rather than a hindrance. If there is a rule in formal training is meant to be broken, and taken to another level. I create totally with out looking around me it come strictly from a bank of unconscious forms and figures in my mind. All art communicates in my opinion, even if it’s simply to capture the beauty of the moment. My art speaks in different languages to those who are open to receive their own personal messages in it.

I think often about the value of art in our culture, we tend to value things that are rare and have a style and a personality of their own. As an artist, I am conscious of why I create art the way I do. I am looking for a meaningful way to represent not only the world I live in, but also, the way I perceive my own inner soul. The art becomes not just about the artist, but also about the viewer."