II.2.2 DIGITAL ARCHIVE 832077
(1) I SINCERELY BELIEVE that in America lies the source that will fertilize twentieth-century art. The spiritual forces of Europe are almost depleted, and its civilization [like a tree] will be saved by the vitality injected through its sap: the mixing with virgin races brimming with the essence of humanity. If the current renewal of art has demonstrated that the appeal of any work of art stems only from its emotional power, it is understood that the true American artist has to feel the concern, or rather the need, to express visions of his environment and his spirit.
(2) Its content will simultaneously serve as its means. It is art that expresses passions not imagined by civilized Europeans. In every corner of America lies the pain of a deflowering or of love that sings of an injustice. If today a painting has no more vision than its content and the painters have become artists (poets) again, the most American portrait will be the one that best conveys the song of love or of pain; in other words, an American life.
(3) There may be some similarities in the manner of expressing themselves, and among some sectors and countries an almost equality of content, since being neighbors and of the same ethnicity has given rise to the same feelings and customs; but there will always be traits that are profoundly different among them. Particularly Mexico, Peru, and Cuba will clearly stand out, since few countries in the continent can show such an original profile. With regard to Cuba, I believe that in spite of its absolute lack of indigenous population (which modulates the physiognomy of almost all countries in America), it produces an extraordinarily characteristic type, imbued with spiritual strength.
(4) Simply said, the attitude of American artists vis-à-vis European art cannot be any other than what an artist who deems himself to be such adopts individually, confronted with what others have done before. Namely the artist will benefit from the science accumulated by his predecessors and, with a vision of the beyond, will penetrate his own spirit to capture there the unknown essence. . . . The unquestionable law of evolution will once more be fulfilled. American art is a life that is born facing a life that has already gone.