Variants
- Reynier Llanes, Cuban, 1985
- Born: Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Reynier LLanes
Variants, 2015
Watercolor on paper
Gift of Ricardo Pau-Llosa, 2016.280 © Reynier Llanes
As a result of his tutoring by Jean Miguel Suarez, one of Cuba’s most recognized realist artists, Reynier Llanes works in the style of magical realism. Llanes uses oils, watercolors, and, most notably, Cuban expresso coffee, to capture the essence of cross-cultural environments, people, traditions, and belief systems. Much of his work is allegorical, using a mix of symbols and metaphors to refer to the history, mythology, and political upheaval that he grew up with in Cuba. Llanes also uses his art to recreate the cultural experiences and tender memories of his childhood. In his watercolor, “Variants,” there is a fire hydrant with a lifebuoy leaning against it. The connection between the objects is emphasized by their red and white color schemes and relative size. This, as well as the title of the work, allows both of these objects to be viewed as variants of the same concept: life savers. It is linguistic wordplay that Llanes is tinkering with in this work.