José Bernal

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José Antonio Severino Bernal Muoz (1925 – April 19, 2010), known by his first name and paternal name José Bernal, was a Cuban-American artist who died in Las Villas (now Villa Clara) and became a naturalized US citizen in 1980. Bernal's aesthetics derived from his Cuban roots and the remembrance and revival of exile and renewal.

His artwork has been described as modernist, abstract, and expressionist.

Bernal's diverse and intricate body of work can also be described as postmodernist, particularly because he discarded the assumption of the new in art, a characteristic imbued in postmodern theory.

Life in Cuba

Bernal, a young child, was privately tutored in art and music. He graduated from Normal Teachers College in 1945 and began teaching at a number of public and private schools in Las Villas, Ontario. Simultaneously, he enrolled in the Escuela de Artes Plásticas Leopoldo Romaach, where he obtained his MFA. In Santa Clara and Havana, his musical and visual creations were performed and exhibited.

Bernal was one of the throngs of Cubans detained for unpatriotic conduct in 1961 and was barred from the Marta Abdugu University in Santa Clara for 11 days. Bernal's offence was that he was refused to work in the fields of cutting sugar cane. Following his release, the possibility of execution haunted him and his wife, who reluctantly began plans to leave the country with their three young children. Visas took more than a year. The Bernals were able to board a Pan Am flight to the United States of America in June 1962 with the support of the Methodist Church.

At Miami, Florida, the Bernal family came to the United States. Because of the lack of jobs, their stay in the state was short – only for a few months. They migrated to Chicago, Illinois, in the fall of 1962. Bernal was confronted with the imperative to help his family and, as a result of language barriers, he was recruited into a factory that manufactures artistic products for commercial use. In the meantime, he continued to produce personal art. Critics said that his work during this period showed a change as a result of geographical change. Although his palette in Cuba did not reflect his homeland's vibrant, vivid colors, his artist in Chicago began to incorporate the tropical hues of his Caribbean homeland into his art in Chicago.

Bernal's art collection was reviewed by a Marshall Fields executive in 1964, and he was offered a job as a Senior Designer. Bernal was forbidden by Field's fine arts gallery director to display his impressionist portraits, landscapes, and still lives. Betty Parsons, an art dealer, designer, and collector, discovered Bernal's art and began selling his paintings at Dayton's art galleries in Minneapolis. Bernal was able to leave his teaching and painting jobs at Marshall Field's and return to school, where he could fulfill his dual passion of teaching and painting."

Bernal returned to teaching art after being awarded an MFA by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1970, while still exhibiting his works. "Bernal's works engage the viewer because they revived the desire for art as a communicative power," Lydia Murman, a New Art Examiner art critic, wrote about Bernal's 1981 solo exhibition of collage and assemblage: "Bernal's works involve the viewer." The observer responds to the classical arrangement, in which found objects are treated with remembrance of their physical properties and potential symbolic value. Although warm wood, old newspaper print, tarnished metal, and antique works produce an aura that draws the viewer and sparks archetypal images within his subconscious, several works, such as "Balancing the Unbalanced," in which a faucet is portrayed as a faucet, invite the viewer to begin a conversation about substance and illusion, art, and reality, invite the viewer to open the discussion about substance and illusion, art, and truth.

Despite Bernal and his family's ignorance, the first signs of Parkinson's disease first appeared in the 1980s and were eventually diagnosed in 1993. He continued to work, continued to work, determined to move forward and fight back against the disease's ravages. Bernal bequest a few of his paintings to the National Parkinson Foundation in Miami, Florida, which auctioned them off to benefit the charity in 2004. Bernal's contribution to the field of art has grown to more than 300 works of art.

Bernal's work is included in two books by Dorothy Chaplik on Latin American art: Latin American Arts and Cultures; and Defining Latin American Art/Hacia Latin American art / History (Hardington, Colombia) una definición del arte latinoamericano. Bernal's essay The Art of José Bernal discusses Bernal's career and his artistic journey as he tackled life's challenges, including political unrest in Cuba, his personal battle with Parkinson's disease, and his admiration for his art.

Bernal died of Parkinson's disease complications at his Skokie, Illinois home on April 19, 2010. In the Institute for Latino Studies of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, documents on his life and art are archived.

Life in the United States

At Miami, Florida, the Bernal family entered the United States. On account of the unemployment of jobs, their stay in the state was short – only for a few months. They later moved to Chicago, Illinois, in the fall of 1962. Bernal was confronted with the need to help his family and became employed in a company that produces artistic materials for commercial use due to language barriers. In the meantime, he continued to produce personal art. Critics also argued that his career during that period revealed a shift caused by the change in geographical conditions. Although his palette in Cuba did not reflect his native land's vibrant, vivid colors, he continued to incorporate the tropical hues of his Caribbean homeland into his art in Chicago.

Bernal's art collection was examined by an executive at Marshall Fields in 1964, and he was given a position as Senior Designer. Bernal was advised by the director of Field's fine arts gallery to view his impressionist portraits, landscapes, and still lives. Betty Parsons, an art dealer, illustrator, and collector, discovered Bernal's art exhibits and began selling his paintings in Minneapolis' art galleries. Bernal was able to leave his teaching and painting jobs at Marshall Fields and return to school, where he could fulfill his dual passions of teaching and painting."

Bernal returned to teaching art after being awarded an MFA by the Art Institute of Chicago in 1970, while still exhibiting and exhibiting his works. "Bernal's works confront the viewer because they revive the fear of art as a communicative power," Lydia Murman, a New Art Examiner art critic, wrote about Bernal's 1981 solo exhibition of collage and assemblage: "Bernal's works involve the viewer." The viewer reacts to the classical arrangement, in which found objects are treated with reserving their physical appearance and potential symbolic value. Although warm wood, old newspaper print, tarnished metal, and antique works create an aura that lures archetypal images within his subconscious, several works, such as "Balance the Unbalanced," in which a faucet is perceived as a faucet, invite the viewer to open the discussion on substance and illusion, art, and reality, such as "Balancing the Unbalanced."

Despite Bernal and his family's ignorance, the first signs of Parkinson's disease began in the 1980s, and he was officially diagnosed in 1993. He continued to work, vowing to move forward and fight back against the disease's ravages. Bernal donated a number of his paintings to the National Parkinson Foundation in Miami, Florida, which auctioned them off to benefit the charity. Bernal's prolific contribution to some 300 works of art has since been expanded to over 300 works of art.

Bernal's work is annotated in two books by Dorothy Chaplik on Latin American art: Latin American Arts and Cultures and Defining Latin American Art/Hacia The work of arte latinoamericano has been published in two books by Dorothy Chaplik on Latin American art: Latin American Arts and Cultures and Defining. Bernal's biography, as he tackled life's challenges, including political unrest in Cuba, his personal struggle with Parkinson's disease, and his love for his art are among the topics covered in her essay The Art of José Bernal.

Bernal died of Parkinson's disease complications at his Skokie, Illinois home on April 19, 2010. In the Institute for Latino Studies of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, documents on his life and art are archived.

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