Artist Profile: Hermes

At 59, Hermes is one of the oldest of my artists in the gallery, and one of the most accomplished. He graduated from the regional art school in Camaguey, and has been a figurative painter ever since, focusing on Afro-Cuban themes. He draws his inspiration from Wifredo Lam, the best-known Cuban painter of the 20th century, but paints in an entirely different style. He comes from family of painters, with his children carrying on the tradition. According to Hermes, the viewer of his painting could be motivated to meditate on the elegant figures depicted. He is interested in the roots of the Afro-Cuban culture, and his paintings depict the syncretism of spiritual beliefs we find in Cuba, the melding of Catholicism and Santeria. Looking at his regal paintings, it is easy to understand his belief that the divine is not only "out there"� but here within us as well.

—Ana Weir