1940s "Young Man in Striped Shirt" Expressionist Style Portrait Gouache Painting by Victor Manuel

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Painted by Cuba's most important figural painter in the mid-20th
century, this portrait by Victor Manuel depicts a young man … Read more Painted by Cuba's most important figural painter in the mid-20th
century, this portrait by Victor Manuel depicts a young man with a
bicycle cap and a white and red striped shirt, looking at the the viewer
with steady blue eyes. Behind him is a harbor scene filled with
sailboats and pedestrians enjoying a brilliant warm day. Manuel showed
great promise as a young man, traveling to France to study and exhibit,
and then returning to Havana to establish a reputation as a brilliant
portraitist. One of his early works, "La Gitana Tropical" ("The Tropical
Gipsy") -- widely known as "La Gioconda Americana" -- brought him great
renown, and is now exhibited at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in
Havana. Over the years he painted a number of portraits, usually of
beautiful women, so this portrait of a young man is an unusual and
striking example of his work. The painting is accompanied by a
certificate of authenticity by Robert Cayuso, a highly-regarded art
historian. The medium is watercolor and gouache on rag paper. See less