The Republic of Haiti is a small country in the Caribbean Sea and lies next to Jamaica and Cuba. Despite its comparably small size, many significant artists were born here. A large number of names known in the world of painting originates from Haiti; however, not many people know this fact. Haitian arts and paintings made a huge impact on the development of painting art. The diverse works of the popularity of Haitian artists may lie in the fact that this country is one of the poorest countries in the world. Therefore, many topics, such as social instability, poor living conditions, and lack of education, freedom, and healthcare can be covered in their works.
Painting has always been an integral part of the country’s life which can be proven by numerous frescos and confessional illustrations that are a common form of traditional art here. Many country’s citizens, especially young adults from wealthy families, went to France to study art, discover their talent, and then returned home. The first wave of Haitian artists presented many works correlated with the voodoo cult, slavery, different religious motives, and historic events. However, the popularity of the country’s art came after the Second World War as many American and French painters and philosophers became interested in the paintings of Haitian street artists. Haitian art developed over time; however, the most preferable elements in artistic works remained the same – flowers, colorful lines, and geometric figures. In this way, this art spread over the globe, encouraging and fascinating many people and becoming the object of admiration.
For example, with the development of Haitian art, the Museum of Modern Arts based in New York purchased the paintings of the most popular artists coming from Haiti. The Times magazine reviewed many frescos, artistic works, and illustrations presented by the country’s artists, and the paintings of Haitian artists became objects of demand at the market. Despite the popularity of Haitian art, the most popular ideas remained simple: the representations of daily life situations such as fishing, shopping, fistfights, or barking dogs on the streets, and voodoo paintings.
One of the most considerable artists of the 20th century in Haitian art is Luce Turnier. She was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship to research the spread of Haitian art over the globe, and later, she started painting herself (Twa, 2020). Despite her weak health, during her recovery periods, Turnier managed to accomplish many paintings in new genres and styles that were not popular in Haiti by that time. She is one of the leading Haitian artists who earned international respect and support through her paintings in a modernistic style and for her broad love of Haitian culture. This artist spent much time in Haiti representing the country’s culture and later traveled to Paris to further develop her skills as a painter. She expressed her wish to study the modernistic style of popular French artists and was ready to take risks to achieve her goals (Twa, 2020). Luce Turnier is well-known for her late portraits as well.
One more significant Haitian artist is Maurice Borno who also managed to get the Rockefeller foundation scholarship. He claimed his life aims to be promoting enthusiasm in the Haitian Art Center by his personal experience, going to Cuba to explore its culture, and trying to represent the country’s culture in his paintings (Twa, 2020). Borno achieved great results with his paintings in a modernistic style and later became an instructor in a Haitian Art Center mentoring many young painters (Twa, 2020). Borno and Turnier organized many exhibitions together promoting Haitian art even broader than it was known before. Both painters accomplished many artworks that are popular even after their death and taught many beginning painters who became the modern driving power of Haitian art.
Reference
Twa, L. J. (2020). The Rockefeller foundation and Haitian artists: Maurice Borno, Jean Chenet, and Luce Turnier. Journal of Haitian Sturdies, 26(1), 37-71. Web.