Cristian Mesa Velazquez - Abrazo Propio
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Selected by Maurizio Buquicchio
Holds a master's degree in film and visual arts; experienced curator, writer, and researcher.
Gallery Estimate € 600 - € 750
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Cristian Mesa Velazquez presents Abrazo Propio, an original oil on canvas (82 x 53 cm, 2025) signed by hand, in excellent condition and originates from Spain, sold directly by the artist with a certificate of authenticity and shipped without a frame.
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Description from the seller
Self Embrace
Oil on canvas · 82 x 53 cm · 2026
The composition is split by the waterline, and that division confuses the gaze at first glance. Up above, on the surface, warm blocks of skin and dark hair appear resolved almost as abstraction, with no visible face. Below, under the water, the figure is clearly defined, wrapped in a sober black swimsuit that cuts through the canvas with the harshest color note of the whole scene.
The gesture is the true center of the work. One hand closes over the other at chest height and neck, in a position of self-embrace more than swimming. The fingers grasp nothing, because there is no pool edge or handle. They hold themselves, and the gesture reads as protection rather than movement. The dark hair spills into loose locks that the water separates in different directions, each strand with a long, undulating brushstroke, while a reddish-brown lock peeks along the neck.
The modeling of the skin is where the work operates with the most nuance. Across the arm and shoulder, layers of ochre, sienna, and pink overlap in short strokes that follow the curve of the muscle and capture the light drawing that the surface projects onto the body. The water is resolved with broader patches of blue and green, and the background is speckled with greens and turquoises. The line of the surface is marked by a frothy white streak that separates two registers of brushwork: skin built in detail, water resolved with gesture.
It is a deliberately ambiguous composition. It is not clear whether the figure is protecting themselves, arranging their hair, or floating inward. That ambiguity, combined with the almost abstract crop of the upper stripe, brings it closer to a pictorial fragment than to a narrative scene.
Technique: oil on canvas
Measurements: 82 x 53 cm
Artwork 100% handmade by the artist
Includes certificate of authenticity
Shipped unframed for maximum safety in transit
Images with frame are for reference only; the frame is not included in the sale
A valid tracking number is provided to monitor the order’s journey and it usually takes 2-7 days depending on the destination via UPS, FEDEX, and CORREOS EXPRESS
Paint colors may differ slightly from the photos due to screen settings.
My artworks are packaged with the utmost care in a transport tube for maximum protection; they are sent registered with a tracking code within 3 business days after payment.
Check the contents in the presence of the courier.
In case of damages, keep the damage report for the courier.
Studios
2013- Intermediate Level in Plastic Arts. Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
Selected group exhibitions
2010. Iconographic Nicolas Guillén Salon. UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba
2010. Exhibition “Vástagos.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Martían Salon. Sculpture Workshop Gallery, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Exhibition “Lithographs.” UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Exhibition “Final Integral Exercise.” Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2012. Martían Salon. Huellas Cultural Center, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2012. Exhibition “La Víspera.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Salon “Guernica.” AHS, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Salon “Plastic in April.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Collective expo “Art, a social image.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2016. First Salon of Plastic Arts. Guáimaro Art Gallery, Camagüey. Cuba.
2016. Collective expo, Aires de Cubanía. Casa del Alba cultural, Havana. Cuba.
2017. III Edition of the Salon of Plastic Arts, Guáimaro, Camagüey. Cuba.
2017. Collective Expo, One of a Hundred, Sculpture Workshop Gallery Rita Longa. Las Tunas. Cuba.
2017. Review of the itinerant collective expo, Aires de Cubanía, Iberian-American and Caribbean Review “Arte por Excelencias” Year VII/NO.32/2017/Quarterly. Page: 18.
2018. Salon “Plastic in April” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2019. Collective Miniature Expo “Painting, noble lady of the spirit” Ciego de Ávila. Cuba.
2019. Collective Expo “Osmosis” AHS, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2020. Tribute Expo to Anette Delgado, Havana. Cuba.
2020 International Art Fair LUXEMBOURG 2020
2020 International City of Light Paris Art Fair 2020
2021 International Art Fair GERMANY 2021
2021 International Fine Arts Fair France 2021
Seller's Story
About the Artist
Cristian Mesa Velázquez (Las Tunas, Cuba, 1994) is a contemporary Cuban painter currently living and working in Valencia, Spain.
Trained at the Professional Academy of Plastic Arts in Las Tunas, Mesa Velázquez has developed a personal pictorial language that combines solid technical realism with a strong symbolic and emotional charge. His work explores themes such as the human body, sensuality, nature, and light, always with a marked chromatic and textural sensitivity.
From a very young age, his talent was recognized in Cuba, where he participated in numerous national salons and collective exhibitions. Since 2020, his career has taken an important international leap, participating in major art fairs in Luxembourg, Paris, Germany, and France. His works have been acquired by private collectors in more than eight countries, including France, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Germany, the United States, Mexico, and Spain.
His painting is characterized by excellent craftsmanship, an expressive handling of oil, and a unique ability to transform the everyday into images full of poetry, desire, and vitality. His series of figures in water, fruits and hands, as well as his bird portraits, stand out for their visual power and their capacity to emotionally connect with the viewer.
Today, his work is part of important private collections around the world and continues to establish itself as one of the most interesting voices of contemporary Cuban realism in Europe.
Translated by Google TranslateSelf Embrace
Oil on canvas · 82 x 53 cm · 2026
The composition is split by the waterline, and that division confuses the gaze at first glance. Up above, on the surface, warm blocks of skin and dark hair appear resolved almost as abstraction, with no visible face. Below, under the water, the figure is clearly defined, wrapped in a sober black swimsuit that cuts through the canvas with the harshest color note of the whole scene.
The gesture is the true center of the work. One hand closes over the other at chest height and neck, in a position of self-embrace more than swimming. The fingers grasp nothing, because there is no pool edge or handle. They hold themselves, and the gesture reads as protection rather than movement. The dark hair spills into loose locks that the water separates in different directions, each strand with a long, undulating brushstroke, while a reddish-brown lock peeks along the neck.
The modeling of the skin is where the work operates with the most nuance. Across the arm and shoulder, layers of ochre, sienna, and pink overlap in short strokes that follow the curve of the muscle and capture the light drawing that the surface projects onto the body. The water is resolved with broader patches of blue and green, and the background is speckled with greens and turquoises. The line of the surface is marked by a frothy white streak that separates two registers of brushwork: skin built in detail, water resolved with gesture.
It is a deliberately ambiguous composition. It is not clear whether the figure is protecting themselves, arranging their hair, or floating inward. That ambiguity, combined with the almost abstract crop of the upper stripe, brings it closer to a pictorial fragment than to a narrative scene.
Technique: oil on canvas
Measurements: 82 x 53 cm
Artwork 100% handmade by the artist
Includes certificate of authenticity
Shipped unframed for maximum safety in transit
Images with frame are for reference only; the frame is not included in the sale
A valid tracking number is provided to monitor the order’s journey and it usually takes 2-7 days depending on the destination via UPS, FEDEX, and CORREOS EXPRESS
Paint colors may differ slightly from the photos due to screen settings.
My artworks are packaged with the utmost care in a transport tube for maximum protection; they are sent registered with a tracking code within 3 business days after payment.
Check the contents in the presence of the courier.
In case of damages, keep the damage report for the courier.
Studios
2013- Intermediate Level in Plastic Arts. Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
Selected group exhibitions
2010. Iconographic Nicolas Guillén Salon. UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba
2010. Exhibition “Vástagos.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Martían Salon. Sculpture Workshop Gallery, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Exhibition “Lithographs.” UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Exhibition “Final Integral Exercise.” Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2012. Martían Salon. Huellas Cultural Center, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2012. Exhibition “La Víspera.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Salon “Guernica.” AHS, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Salon “Plastic in April.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2013. Collective expo “Art, a social image.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2016. First Salon of Plastic Arts. Guáimaro Art Gallery, Camagüey. Cuba.
2016. Collective expo, Aires de Cubanía. Casa del Alba cultural, Havana. Cuba.
2017. III Edition of the Salon of Plastic Arts, Guáimaro, Camagüey. Cuba.
2017. Collective Expo, One of a Hundred, Sculpture Workshop Gallery Rita Longa. Las Tunas. Cuba.
2017. Review of the itinerant collective expo, Aires de Cubanía, Iberian-American and Caribbean Review “Arte por Excelencias” Year VII/NO.32/2017/Quarterly. Page: 18.
2018. Salon “Plastic in April” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2019. Collective Miniature Expo “Painting, noble lady of the spirit” Ciego de Ávila. Cuba.
2019. Collective Expo “Osmosis” AHS, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2020. Tribute Expo to Anette Delgado, Havana. Cuba.
2020 International Art Fair LUXEMBOURG 2020
2020 International City of Light Paris Art Fair 2020
2021 International Art Fair GERMANY 2021
2021 International Fine Arts Fair France 2021
Seller's Story
About the Artist
Cristian Mesa Velázquez (Las Tunas, Cuba, 1994) is a contemporary Cuban painter currently living and working in Valencia, Spain.
Trained at the Professional Academy of Plastic Arts in Las Tunas, Mesa Velázquez has developed a personal pictorial language that combines solid technical realism with a strong symbolic and emotional charge. His work explores themes such as the human body, sensuality, nature, and light, always with a marked chromatic and textural sensitivity.
From a very young age, his talent was recognized in Cuba, where he participated in numerous national salons and collective exhibitions. Since 2020, his career has taken an important international leap, participating in major art fairs in Luxembourg, Paris, Germany, and France. His works have been acquired by private collectors in more than eight countries, including France, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Germany, the United States, Mexico, and Spain.
His painting is characterized by excellent craftsmanship, an expressive handling of oil, and a unique ability to transform the everyday into images full of poetry, desire, and vitality. His series of figures in water, fruits and hands, as well as his bird portraits, stand out for their visual power and their capacity to emotionally connect with the viewer.
Today, his work is part of important private collections around the world and continues to establish itself as one of the most interesting voices of contemporary Cuban realism in Europe.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Artist
Cristian Mesa Velazquez
Sold with frame
No
Sold by
Direct from the artist
Edition
Original
Title of artwork
Abrazo Propio
Technique
Oil painting
Signature
Hand signed
Country of origin
Spain
Year
2025
Condition
Excellent condition
Height
82 cm
Width
53 cm
Style
Realism
Period
2020+
