Cesar Santos Statement: My artistic energy drives me to capture the people of my time.
I am fascinated with the way our daily activities establish identity in a specific way; this action is so persistent that our individuality fades and we become archetypes. Through my detailed paintings which intermingle areas of oil paint, charcoal and crayons, I question the history and standards of portraiture, isolating my subject from their environment and playing the expression of identity against the loss of individuality.
I seek to establish a relationship between the subject and their place in contemporary society. Including hints of the subject’s environment I imply that they are shaped and perhaps defined by their activities and place in society. My ultimate interest is in the unnoticeable, yet irreplaceable, people in my community.
Santos was born in Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba on July 10, 1982. As a child, he was passionate about boxing. He competed in kids boxing tournaments at a municipal level. He also started studying art at a young age, impressed by his uncle Raul Santos Zerpa, a prominent Cuban painter in the 1960s.
