Creator Not Muse: “Juana Borrero” (1892) by Julián del Casal

Abstract: Julián del Casal’s “Juana Borrero” (1892) has been interpreted as a paternalistic word portrait that limits the female artist to the role of muse. However, analyzing Casal’s use of ekphrasis, which describes Borrero’s creative process rather than her physical appearance or finished artwork, sheds new light on the crónica as a key text of Cuba’s evolving national consciousness, one that centers Juana Borrero as a creator. By representing Borrero as a painter at work on the banks of the Almendares River, a national symbol, Casal frames her artistic practice as a patriotic act that “illustrates the name of the homeland.” Thus, Casal’s juxtaposition of the local Almendares with the European Rhine is not an escapist act of substitution, as some critics have argued, but rather a deliberate strategy of superimposition that elevates the Cuban landscape and positions Borrero on an international stage. Including Borrero’s own poems in the text further fragments Casal’s creative autonomy, asserting her voice and subjectivity. In these ways, Casal’s crónica offers a forward-thinking vision of an expansive Cuban identity, nourished by creative and cultural exchange, anticipating later reflections on art and identity by José Lezama Lima.