Evelia Cruz Pérez was born in Pinar del Río in 1898 and died in 1975. From a young age, she displayed an aesthetic sensitivity and a fondness for the brush, a vocation that enjoyed decisive family support. In 1915, she entered the then-known San Alejandro Academy of Drawing, Painting, and Modeling, where she displayed brilliant talents. She was even a student of the prominent painter Leopoldo Romañach, who appreciated Evelia Cruz’s artistic talents and predicted a successful career for her.

She did not limit herself to artistic creation but also took an interest in teaching and research, areas in which she also achieved promising results. She served for a time as a painting professor at the Pinar del Río Teachers’ College, a position she obtained by competitive examination, based on her excellent talent and the academic training she had acquired at the San Alejandro Academy, at a time when women were not fully recognized as artists.

Her research in the field of art set an important precedent for later studies, and her work was distinguished above all for its precise and elegant treatment of the human figure. She also created some notable landscapes, primarily inspired by the forested landscapes of Cuba. While still young, she won several awards and a scholarship that allowed her to visit major European cities, a continent where she lived for approximately three years.

Upon returning to Cuba, she continued her artistic and teaching work. On several occasions, she participated in the exhibitions organized annually by the Association of Painters and Sculptors of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Havana; however, she primarily focused on teaching, which, at this stage, left much of her creative talent in the shadows. As a teacher, she achieved the prestige of being, along with Luisa Fernández Morrell, a pioneer of the feminine perspective on landscapes, figures, and events.

Years after the triumph of the Revolution, in 1963, she decided to emigrate to Puerto Rico. There she recovered her creative streak, exhibited valuable works, and largely achieved public and critical acclaim. However, she never abandoned her idiosyncrasy, the national tradition she would continue and promote in other lands with undeniable historical ties to Cuba. In both countries, her work set an inspiring example for young artists.