Culture

I have already mentioned music and dance and most restaurants and bars have small groups entertaining who subsequently move around the patrons seeking payment.  Some of these are very good but once or twice I refused to pay on the grounds that we had had to move to a different table to get away from the racket and hear ourselves think.  Similarly, two restaurants we went to at night featured flamenco dancing.

There are lots of artists in Havana.  The art varies between paintings mass produced for the tourists, in ‘Pro Hart’ fashion, to genuine original works; some of a high quality.  The former are on cheap roughly primed canvas, not Masonite a la Pro, and can be purchased according to size; for around $10 a square foot.  These are described as ‘original oils’, in that each is hand made and the brush strokes differ, but roughly the same painting is produced numerous times and in different sizes.  Subjects vary from cars to nudes; still life to landscape; religious icons and copies of other painters work; particularly Fernando Botero.

A Botero - this one in the fine arts museum in Mexico City

There is a huge market at the harbour-side displaying these paintings; in addition to many galleries and street art locations. 

In the second category I went into a couple of studios and discussed their work with artists I saw painting in styles from neo-cubism to abstract expressionism.  Art it seems is a kind of small scale manufacture replacing the industry that once took place in abandoned factories across the country.