Mario Ambrosio García Portela

Mario confesses that in his own birthland—with its spectacular landscapes and nature—he has found many sources of inspiration, and among them is discovered his journey through the multiple techniques he has worked with: engraving, pen work, watercolor wash, tearing, collage…

The step that followed his drawings on cardboard was rural landscape on canvas with acrylic, but unlike other landscape painters who are interested in representing the brilliant colors of light over the countryside, in his painting-drawings García Portela prefers to opt for ochres and siennas, which imprints his work with a very distinctive seal and ends up accentuating his great mastery in the handling of lights and shadows.

Urban painting is another facet of the artist. With the same technique as his landscapes, he works the oldest and most forgotten areas of our cities, recreating the textures of old walls, like portraits from which no detail escapes, in the style of those well-known windows that serve as settings for small clowns or dolls that make us meditate, laugh or cry.

Mario is a member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), Professor of Drawing and Painting and Licentiate in History and Social Sciences. In his extensive professional career stand out the practice of teaching for 38 years at the School of Fine Arts and at the Pedagogical University of Pinar del Río; 13 national awards and two in Spain; and participation in more than one hundred collective exhibitions in Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, United States, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Malaysia, Lebanon and Norway.

Chronology
1960 Specialty in painting and drawing. School of Fine Arts of Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
1985 Licentiate in History and Social Sciences. Pedagogical Institute of Higher Education of Pinar del Río. Pinar del Río.
Member of UNEAC.

Professional Trajectory
1960-1984 Professor of Fine Arts, Provincial School of Art, Pinar del Río.
1976-1984 General Director, Provincial School of Art, Pinar del Río.
Professor of Fine Arts. Pedagogical Institute of Higher Education of Pinar del Río.
Head of the Art Department, Pedagogical Institute of Higher Education of Pinar del Río. Pinar del Río.
1987-1989 Director. Art and Literature Magazine INICIOS. Pinar del Río.
1987-1990 Contributor. International Philately Magazine.
1999 President of the Provincial Council of Fine Arts. Pinar del Río.

Personal Exhibitions
1969 Painting Exhibition. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
Painting Exhibition. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
1973 Drawing Exhibition. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
1989 Drawing Exhibition. Art Gallery of Viñales, Pinar del Río.
1994 Drawing Exhibition. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
1998 Drawing and Painting Exhibition. Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, Minnesota, United States.
1999 Dissonant Harmonies. Hotel Inglaterra, Havana.
Cuban Culture Festival CUBARRIBA. Chieti and Pescara, Italy.
2000 Two views of Cuba. Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, NH, United States.
2002 Essays. Imago Gallery, Gran Teatro de La Habana.

Collective Exhibitions
1959 Ceramics and Popular Arts Exhibition. Pinar del Río.
1960 Hall of the Circle of Fine Arts. Havana.
1961 Exhibition for the founding of UNEAC. Havana.
1962 National Drawing Hall. Galiano Gallery, Havana; Santiago de Cuba and Matanzas.
1964 July 26th Contest. Provincial Council of Culture, Pinar del Río.
1970 Hall 70. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.
Cultural Panorama. Camagüey.
1971 I National Youth Hall of Fine Arts. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.
1972 Current Cuban Art Exhibition. Canada.
Pinareño Fine Artists. Pinar del Río.
The Presence of Women in the Revolutionary Process. Havana.
1973 National Hall of Fine Arts Professors. Havana.
1974 II National Youth Hall of Fine Arts. Havana.
1977 National Drawing Hall. Pinar del Río.
1984 I Havana Biennial. Palace of Conventions, Havana.
I Symposium of Rock Art. Palace of Conventions, Havana.
1984, 1989-1992, 1995-1996, 2000 Provincial Hall. Pinar del Río.
1986 II Havana Biennial. Palace of Conventions, Havana.
1985 Exhibition in tribute to the meeting of friendship between French and Cuban youth. Pinar del Río.
1987 Atilano Armenteros Winter Hall. San Juan, Pinar del Río.
1988 Provincial Encounters of Fine Arts. San Juan, San Luis, La Palma, Pinar del Río.
1989 National Meeting of the Hermanos Saíz Brigade, Havana.
1990 Andar Pinar. Havana.
1990, 1991 December 14th Hall. Pinar del Río.
1990-1998 National Meeting of the Hermanos Saíz Brigade. Havana.
1992 Exhibition in tribute to the anniversary of the Provincial Center of Art. Provincial Center of Art, Pinar del Río.
Five Pinareño Engravers. Pinar del Río.
1993 Diversity of Nature, a Valuable Patrimony. Exhibition sponsored by FAO and UNESCO. Provincial Center of Art, Pinar del Río.
Collective Mural. Hermanos Loynaz Center, Pinar del Río.
1994 Vision. Provincial Center of Art, Pinar del Río.
Three Pinareño Artists. Espace C. Massoc, Paris, France.
1995 Cuban Artists. Catholic University of Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Collective Exhibition. UNEAC, Pinar del Río.
Collective Exhibition. Pedagogical Institute of Higher Education, Pinar del Río.
1996 Friendly Space Hall. UNEAC, Pinar del Río.
Pro-position. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
Plastic Window. Seville, Spain.
Exhibition of Pinareño Art. Dusseldorf, Germany.
1997 Cuban Painting Exhibition. Córdoba, Spain.
Voices of Time. Provincial Museum, Pinar del Río.
Cuban Painting Exhibition. Damián Bayón Center, Granada, Spain.
Exhibition of Cuban Artists. Panama.
Cuban Art Exhibition. Varadero Gallery, Matanzas, Cuba.
Cuban Art. Espace Quel Touppe, Paris, France.
Cuban Art. Toronto, Canada.
Collective Exhibition. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.
1997-2000 National Tiburcio Lorenzo Hall. UNEAC, Pinar del Río.
1998 Taste of the Tropics. Art Center of Sancti Spíritus, Cuba.
Ten Cuban Painters. Portugal.
Andalusian Fine Arts Competition. Seville, Spain.
Cuban Exhibition. Arteteca Gallery, Seville, Spain.
Exhibition of Latin American Artists. A.M. Gallery, United States.
1998-1999 Fine Arts Exhibition. City of Dos Hermanas, Seville, Spain.
1999 Universal Art New Temp Project. Exhibition of Colombian-Cuban Fine Artists. Carmelo González Gallery, Havana.
Collective Exhibition. A. M. Gallery, United States.
2000 Varadero Internacional. National UNEAC Exhibition. Varadero, Matanzas.
End of Millennium. UNEAC, Pinar del Río.
Roads to the Forest. Art Gallery, Pinar del Río.

Awards and Distinctions
1959 Award. Carnival Poster Contest. Pinar del Río, Cuba.
1964 Award in Drawing. July 26th Contest. Pinar del Río, Cuba.
1985 Rafael María de Mendive Medal. Distinction awarded for his work in artistic education. Cuba.
1987 Distinction for Cuban Education. Distinction awarded for his work in artistic education. Cuba.
1991 Absolute Award. December 14th Hall. Pinar del Río, Cuba.
1994 José Tey Medal. Distinction for Artistic Education. Council of State. Cuba.
1996 Laureate Seal. Culture Union. Cuba.
Raúl Gómez García Medal. Culture Union. Cuba.
1998 Award. Second National Tiburcio Lorenzo Hall, UNEAC. Pinar del Río.
Selection Award. Andalusian Fine Arts Competition, Zurbarán Room, Athenaeum of Seville. Spain.
Award. III Fine Arts Exhibition. City of Dos Hermanas, Seville, Spain.