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GRANMA TONI PIÑERA, special report for Granma NICOSIA, Cyprus.— Our National Hero will occupy a place devoted to his memory in the capital city of this island, so full of history. José Villa Soberón, an outstanding Cuban sculptor, worked for almost a month in the scorching sun to make a monument to José Martí, soon to be put in a place not far from the Cuban embassy. Villa BY HIS CYPRIOT WORK We found the artist in the town of Santa Barbara, 20 kilometers from Nicosia. He was covered with a white dust that contrasted clearly with his suntanned skin, by his side a beautiful star-shaped figure, formerly a piece of ordinary Cypriot stone on which, by the magic of art, you could just make out the outline of the Master’s face¼ And even if we all know the artist is a man of few words, he talked at length about this important experience, one of many other similar works scattered all over the world, and of course, around Cuba. "As soon as I knew I was coming here to do this piece,” he said, “I tried to think of what to do on stone in a rather short time, and I chose to make a symbolic monument different from the traditional bust of Martí usually found in many cities". "Using a star, such a significant symbol in Cuban iconography because of its presence in our Flag, seemed a perfect choice as a frame for the silhouette of Martí’s face against a big plane,” he continued. “Besides, there will be inscriptions about the Apostle’s identity and some words which the Archbishop dedicated to our National Hero". This work is the second stage in a project devised by Pablo Rodríguez Vidal, Cuban ambassador to Cyprus, and counselor Conchita Muñoz, trying to bring both islands closer together. A monument to Makarios, made by Cypriot sculptor Nicos Kotziamanis and placed in Havana’s Alameda de Paula, was already a reality since 2005. Designed to be 2 meters high, 1.60 meters wide and 1 meter deep, the piece is in keeping with Villa’s line. As to the raw material¼ “it’s a Cypriot stone", he remarked, “as it is known here, very common in many monuments found on this island”. Of these days, he’s especially fond of Cristos Lanitis, his local colleague who not only offered Villa his support and resources to shape the piece in very little time (less than one month) but also his own studio in which to work. ---ooOoo---
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http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2007/06/02/cubamundo/artic01.html
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