Samsung HD by Ruben Toledo

Nordstrom by Ruven Afanador y Ruben Toledo


Otra alianza... Ruben Toledo, artista e ilustrador cubano, quien por años ha sido reconocido como un de los mejores ilustradores de la época, hace alianza con los productos Samsung HD. No me queda muy claro como es la colaboración, pero según el comunicado, las creaciones de Toledo junto a su pasión por la moda, el color y una línea sinuosa son sinónimo de los diseños de alta tecnología de Samsung.

Vanity Fair hizo una corta entrevista, así se dan una idea de quién es Ruben Toledo:

Vanity Fair's unabridged interview with Ruben Toledo.

What are your passions?
Art, life, love—and conveying this to others, hopefully, through my art work. To me all art is communication. I learned early on not to set limits for myself, not to paint myself into a corner: art needs freedom to stay authentic and sincere. This is our job as artists.

From where do you draw your inspiration?
My main squeeze of inspiration comes from my wife Isabel, because of her expertise and commitment to the fine craft of fashion. It’s a beautiful thing to see how many talented hands and minds it takes to make a work that will live forever and at the same time be so ephemeral and personal and intimate and an art piece. I’d have to say that I am also deeply influenced by the cinematic eye and all things related to movies. I moved to the U.S.A. from Cuba when I was only six years old, so I learned about America though TV and turn here often for a jolt of stimulation.

How did you learn about art?
I was lucky to “learn” what art is and what it stands for completely by accident. I realized that the free cultural intake I was getting every day was art. We can see it everywhere—museums, store windows, tabloids, the internet, radio, books, theaters, street signs—and these things are shaping what our time looks like. I was introduced to fashion by my wife Isabel. I use fashion now as an ingredient in my art since it is a fertile field that melds well with new ideas at a fast pace….something that fits my temperament well.

What media do you work with?
My first is still my favorite: I LOVE TO DRAW and have filled a zillion sketchbooks, so I have to say pencil and paper. But I do try to use as many as I can get to. So far that includes watercolor on paper, oil on canvas, clay and ceramics, fiberglass and rubber, wood, wire and bamboo. I’ve created stage sets, window designs, textile prints, and most recently have expanded into film and animation.

You often collaborate with your wife, Isabel, on projects. How does this relationship work?
I met Isabel in high school when we were both thirteen. We are both Cuban born, and only a day apart at that…but have very different personalities. She is much more introspective and an excellent observer; I am all instinct and speed. Our aesthetics lie on different ends of the spectrum as well. This ying and yang keeps us balanced, though, and interested in what the other is working on. Our variety keeps our creative dialogue rolling.

Do you have any favorite colors? If so, why?
I don’t think in words always…more in shapes and graphic movement. Black and white defines this best. I then fill in big chunks of color…as vitamin injections…over-indulgences that satisfy my craving. So, black and white define the architecture…but color delivers the emotion.

You recently released a film entitled FASHIONATION. What is it about?
I wanted to tell the story of French fashion and the influence it had on fashion as we know it today. I had this “cast of thousands” saga in mind, but it became a much more practical half-hour film. I presented it as a landscape with pit stops along the way featuring interviews with influencers such as Sonia Rykiel. It is a blend of live-action, animation, and wonderful old fashion footage from the vaults. I used whatever it took to tell a rich story clearly while maintaining the emotion that great fashion can posses. FASHIONATION was premiered here in New York City at the French Embassy. Ironically, it is as rare as high fashion intends to be since it can currently only be viewed at select exhibitions and film festivals.

What challenge did you face with this project?
The hardest part of filming moving action is that I am not in total control of the art as when I am doing drawings. I can only aim and shoot. But that is what makes it thrilling for me. Art as life!

If you could choose any Samsung HD product, which would it be?
I will definitely use the Full-HD Camcorder (it’s super easy!!) to continue to make short films…well, and the Series 8 HDTV of course, to WOW my eyes! I do find that retaining colors as saturated as I like a challenge with some re-production processes. I actually just hung the TV up in my studio. The TOC design creates an interesting high-tech contrast to the hands-on, craft-driven environs—truly, a perfect mate for my senses and sensibilities

The Samsung HD products are inspired by artistic handcrafted sophistication and can capture life almost as vividly as the real experience. How would you align this to your work?
For me it's all about the hand-made and the human touch. Technology should enhance the eye and hand, and most especially the human soul. In filming real life and capturing art, the immediacy, the accuracy of the visual is all important. If this experience can be enhanced by the media, then we are in a whole new exciting realm.

Your imagination and vision are unique and separate you from other fashion illustrators and artists. Why do you think this is?
Everyone’s vision is unique to themselves. It is our duty as artists to capture and communicate this. For this reason, I see myself first and foremost as a story-teller. I happen to love to draw and happened to fall in love with a woman who was great at the craft of sewing. With her, I learned from the inside-out how clothes are made…how they inhabit the worlds of fashion, art, design, music, and the whole of society…illustrating our time, how we behave and think. That is why fashion fascinates me and why I’m crazy about telling its story!

Tengo que decir, con agrado, que esta humilde periodista tuvo el gusto de entrevistar a Ruben y a su esposa Isabel (diseñadora de moda) el 3 de enero de 2006. Son unos personajes de enamorarse.