Reinier Llanes – mysterious coffee symbolist from Cuba (19 photos + 1 video)
Reinier Llanes is a contemporary Cuban artist. Born in Pinar del Rio on August 15, 1985. After graduating from art school, he moved to Havana, where he studied with one of the best masters working in the technique of realism, Juan Miguel Suarez. 
This painter is one of the most complex and enigmatic figures of his generation in the Cuban tradition of narrative symbolist painting. But beyond storytelling, Llanes has a knack for synthesizing idea and image, creating symbols in intricate settings that look completely natural. This is evidenced by his recognizable coffee paintings. 
In addition, he has remarkable visual wit, imbuing the idea with irony and humor. With a keen theatrical sensibility, Llanes brings together African myths, rural lore and personal imagery with raw intensity and sensuality. A bold balancing act of tonal ambiguities and multiple illusions, Llanes is an artist for whom courage and imagination are synonymous.
Unable to obtain the necessary paints and art supplies in his native Cuba, Llanes mastered the art of using espresso coffee as the main and aromatic ingredient to create his works. The discovery was the result of an accident: a guy simply spilled a steaming cup of coffee on one of his drawings and liked the rich brown hue. From this point on, coffee became not just a drink to be enjoyed with friends and family, but also a cultural and social tradition in Cuba, turning into a completely new source of artistic inspiration.
But it’s not just coffee paintings that interest Llanes’s work. The artist says that he strives to interpret ordinary daily events in art so that the works allow the viewer to understand his thoughts and feelings, compare them with his own and, perhaps, find something in common. 
