Before opening as the Anthropology Center, the first name that was proposed for the House of Cultural Diversity of Camagüey, there were already several young people at the top of the rooms, on scaffolding, with scalpels in their hands.
They came from the Francisco Sánchez Betancourt School of Trades, belonging to the Office of the Historian of the city; their purpose was to unveil the paintings that were under many layers of dust and oblivion.
Also known as The Big Blue House, it is one of the most elegant exponents of eclectic architecture in the city; its large wall paintings make this an enigmatic place.
This December it will celebrate the 11th anniversary of having opened its doors to the culture of Camagüey, so, although it is fair to highlight the work of its group in the attachment to the roots and cultural traditions, which we inherit from different parts of the world, we cannot forget their values in restorative matters, starring the graduates of the trade school.
Artists to the rescue
About this work, which brought to light beautiful paintings lost for many years; we spoke with the recent graduate in mural painting restoration: Gisell Pons Aguilera.
Gisell tells us that, with a layer scraping and then brushing the dust away, these great works were rescued from the passage of time. But it was necessary to study the composition of the original paintings, to later touch up every erased detail, inject them like patients at the tip of syringes to hydrate them and apply dissimilar techniques that take work and patience.
For her, working at The Big Blue House was a unique and special experience, because it gave her the opportunity, together with her colleagues, to put into practice their knowledge, she is proud of each border in which she put her hand, because she believes that there is no other place in the city with so many values gathered.
Inventories
Several cultural and religious institutions in the territory have wall paintings. Ignacio Agramonte Birthplace is an example, although the bathroom with the paintings by Joaquín Miranda Sagol dating from 1930 is certainly one of the main attractions of the House of Cultural Diversity and it is incomparable.
That is why Gisell enjoyed every day of internship at the institution, which she translates as short, since two years were not enough for her to increase her knowledge of the specialty, which is undoubtedly very beautiful and is enriched with experience.
Here she not only learned about painting, but also local history, her identity and to look inside the city culture, which is very rich, beautiful and makes her fall in love, they provoke in her passion and love for paintings because she sees them as a living organism and not as something static.
According to her, each wall painting tells the story of a bygone era that gives life to the current one. Her internship period was unmatched, it is almost impossible to work on such a prestigious house again, which was given the National Restoration Award and other awards that distinguish it.
The tribute
To honor the opportunities that the House of Diversity gave her as a teaching place, she has a special affection for it, for her it is life and history, each pictorial work reminds her of where we come from and who we are, she is willing to participate in any intervention that the property requires for its conservation.
Long and patient days brought the enchanting wall paintings of The Big Blue House on Cisneros Street back to life. Gallons of oil were applied with skillful hands in each room and 90 years later, the beautiful faces of angels and green palm trees returned from the mist, to seduce us with the perfection of their lines and their mysteries. Happy anniversary to that majestic institution and may they continue to shine from the arts.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
