One of the nine muses in the religion of the ancient Greeks, Terpsichore is primarily known as the patron of dance. When I asked Cuban artist Manuel López Oliva why his painting portrayed her more like a broken statue than a female muse, he laughed impishly and told me that it reflected islanders’ dark sense of humor, a product of both the Soviet years and the post-Soviet Special Period. Well, I replied, she is definitely in Cuba. You can tell by the palm trees behind her the stage. He nodded vigorously. And in Cuba, he said, Terpsicore, like every Cuban, must dance without the benefit of either arms or legs. Personal Collection of Lillian Guerra.
