Cristian Mesa Velazquez - Abrazo Propio
02
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17
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07
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Current bid
€ 35
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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
 | €35 | |
|---|---|---|
| €30 |
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Cristian Mesa Velazquez presents Abrazo Propio, oil on canvas measuring 82 × 53 cm, created in 2025 as an original edition, hand-signed, from Spain, in Realism style and in excellent condition, with a certificate of authenticity included and shipped unframed.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Own Embrace
Oil on canvas · 32.3 x 16.5 in · 2026
The composition is split by the water line, and that division misleads the eye 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 defined clearly, wrapped in a sober black swimsuit that cuts through the canvas with the most severe color note of the entire scene.
The gesture is the real center of the work. One hand closes over the other at chest-collarbone height, in a self-embrace rather than a swimming gesture. The fingers hold nothing, because there is no pool edge or handle. They hold themselves, and the gesture reads as protection more than movement. The dark hair spills into loose strands that the water splits in different directions, each with a long, wavy brushstroke, while a reddish-brown strand peeks at the neck.
The modeling of the skin is where the work shows the most nuance. Over the arm and shoulder, layers of ochre, umber and pink are superimposed in short strokes that follow the curve of the muscle and catch the light drawn on the body by the surface. The water is resolved with broader spots of blue and green, and the background is speckled with greens and turquoise. The waterline is marked by a splash of white foam that separates two registers of brushwork: skin built with 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, together with the almost abstract cropping of the upper strip, brings it closer to a pictorial fragment than to a narrative scene.
Technique: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 32.3 x 16.5 in (82 x 53 cm)
Artwork 100% handmade by the artist
Includes certificate of authenticity
Shipped unframed for maximum transport security
Images with frame are for guidance only; the frame is not included in the sale
A valid tracking number is provided to view the order’s journey and typically takes between 2-7 days depending on destination, by UPS, FEDEX and CORREOS EXPRESS
Paint colors may differ slightly from photos due to screen settings.
My artworks are packaged with maximum care in a transport tube for maximum protection, shipped registered with a tracking code within 3 business days after payment.
Check the contents in the presence of the courier.
In case of damage, keep the damage report for the courier.
Studios
2013- High School Diploma in Plastic Arts. Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
Group exhibitions (selection)
2010. Iconographic Salon Nicolás Guillén. UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba
2010. Exhibition “Vástagos.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Martian 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. Martian 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 Art 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. Third Edition of the Salon of Plastic Arts, Guáimaro, Camagüey. Cuba.
2017. Collective Expo, One of a Hundred, Rita Longa Sculpture Workshop Gallery. Las Tunas. Cuba.
2017. Review of the itinerant collective expo, Aires de Cubanía, Ibero-American and Caribbean Review “Arte por Excelencias” Year VII/No.32/2017/Quarterly. Page: 18.
2018. Salon “Plastic Art 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 Luxembourg International Art Fair 2020
2020 Paris City of Lights International Art Fair 2020
2021 Germany International Art Fair 2021
2021 France International Plastic Arts Fair 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 TranslateOwn Embrace
Oil on canvas · 32.3 x 16.5 in · 2026
The composition is split by the water line, and that division misleads the eye 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 defined clearly, wrapped in a sober black swimsuit that cuts through the canvas with the most severe color note of the entire scene.
The gesture is the real center of the work. One hand closes over the other at chest-collarbone height, in a self-embrace rather than a swimming gesture. The fingers hold nothing, because there is no pool edge or handle. They hold themselves, and the gesture reads as protection more than movement. The dark hair spills into loose strands that the water splits in different directions, each with a long, wavy brushstroke, while a reddish-brown strand peeks at the neck.
The modeling of the skin is where the work shows the most nuance. Over the arm and shoulder, layers of ochre, umber and pink are superimposed in short strokes that follow the curve of the muscle and catch the light drawn on the body by the surface. The water is resolved with broader spots of blue and green, and the background is speckled with greens and turquoise. The waterline is marked by a splash of white foam that separates two registers of brushwork: skin built with 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, together with the almost abstract cropping of the upper strip, brings it closer to a pictorial fragment than to a narrative scene.
Technique: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 32.3 x 16.5 in (82 x 53 cm)
Artwork 100% handmade by the artist
Includes certificate of authenticity
Shipped unframed for maximum transport security
Images with frame are for guidance only; the frame is not included in the sale
A valid tracking number is provided to view the order’s journey and typically takes between 2-7 days depending on destination, by UPS, FEDEX and CORREOS EXPRESS
Paint colors may differ slightly from photos due to screen settings.
My artworks are packaged with maximum care in a transport tube for maximum protection, shipped registered with a tracking code within 3 business days after payment.
Check the contents in the presence of the courier.
In case of damage, keep the damage report for the courier.
Studios
2013- High School Diploma in Plastic Arts. Professional Academy of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
Group exhibitions (selection)
2010. Iconographic Salon Nicolás Guillén. UNEAC, Las Tunas. Cuba
2010. Exhibition “Vástagos.” Provincial Center of Plastic Arts, Las Tunas. Cuba.
2011. Martian 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. Martian 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 Art 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. Third Edition of the Salon of Plastic Arts, Guáimaro, Camagüey. Cuba.
2017. Collective Expo, One of a Hundred, Rita Longa Sculpture Workshop Gallery. Las Tunas. Cuba.
2017. Review of the itinerant collective expo, Aires de Cubanía, Ibero-American and Caribbean Review “Arte por Excelencias” Year VII/No.32/2017/Quarterly. Page: 18.
2018. Salon “Plastic Art 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 Luxembourg International Art Fair 2020
2020 Paris City of Lights International Art Fair 2020
2021 Germany International Art Fair 2021
2021 France International Plastic Arts Fair 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
Sold with frame
No
Sold by
Direct from the artist
Edition
Original
Artist
Cristian Mesa Velazquez
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+
