Manuel Hernández: «For me, humor is as important to life as salt»..

«I believe that one cannot leave aside one’s initial dreams; to them one adds those that were built over the years. Those are my dreams of every day, of all my life».

Manuel, you develop ceramics, painting, drawing, but you have never left caricature aside. Why? What place does caricature occupy in your life?

– Caricature was like my university. I think that any painter in ancient times would have been very happy to make a drawing in the morning and see it reproduced in the afternoon.

– At that time, 30,000 copies were published. Suddenly seeing 30 thousand of your drawings reproduced is like something magical, really a privilege; and seeing you published every day is something wonderful.

– Imagine how my view varied from the small world where I was born, with one square kilometer, to a whole island full of corners, of different structures, of small towns, of people, of people, and that enriched me, I was learning from everything and everyone. I became a bigger Cuban.

It seems to me, especially in previous times, but I also see it now, that many people see caricature as a minor art. For Manuel, what is the importance of caricature for society?

– When I was in school they told me that you are a humorist and I answered that I would be a painter. I also saw humor as a minor art, that’s how I was taught in school.

– Humor, caricature, have more to do with literature than with plastic art, because the little doll is a very simple thing, what is really important is the way to create a useful, intelligent message and that can only be achieved by developing a strong culture, a consolidated knowledge.

– For me humor is as important for life as salt and sometimes a drawing, a joke, is as important as a volume of a book, besides a joke can be universal.

If you had to choose between ceramics, painting and caricature, do you feel more comfortable in any of them? Do you prefer any of them?

– Caricature is a bit stressful. Try to make a joke; it’s very difficult because you first have to handle a lot of information and accurate references to make it match, to make it effective.

– Painting is like a path to follow and ceramics is a game. I try to approach each work with a new look, one simple step at a time. I try to make it different, that it has something of you.

After winning three national awards, after having the tremendous recognition you deserve, what dreams does Manuel still have? What dreams do you paint? What dreams accompany your caricatures?

– The same ones I had as a child. I believe that one cannot leave aside the initial dreams; to them one adds those that were built up over the years. Those are my dreams of every day, of all my life.

Written by Jessica Mesa.