Amelia Pelaez Marpacífico (Hibiscus) (1943) oil on canvas 45 1/2" x 35" Gift of IBM A pioneer among Latin American modernists, Cuban artist Amelia Pelaez was highly influential in effecting the break from the traditional styles of painting dictated by Havana's conservative San Alejandro Academy.  Her highly personal and original interpretation or architectural and decorative elements associated with the colonial period grounds her work in a Cuban cultural context.  A thick black line outlining areas of intense color produces an effect that recalls the stained glass of a fanlight or the baroque design of decorative ironwork in colonial houses; a free flowing arabesque line evokes the intricate weave of wicker furniture.  Her use of a heavy black line also serves to give the tones of her compositions a distinctive brilliance.  Light appears to penetrate from behind the picture through the filter of colored glass.  Although partial to still lifes, especially those of tropical flowers, like the Hibiscus, Pelaez also represented human figure as in the complex stained glass like structure of Waiting Lady or Blue Angel.