ATTENTION, ART LOVERS!
An amazing collection of works by five Caribbean artists on loan from Galeria de Arte Ajoupa in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is on exhibit at The Center. The lively and diverse styles represented by these talented artists, along with their bios, can be viewed below or at The Center. We are grateful to our friend Raymond Thertulien, M.D., of North Carolina, co-owner of the gallery, for arranging this exhibit. If you have an interest in adding to your collection, additional information may be obtained or bids may be placed by calling Faye Cox, Executive Director, at 870-933-9939 or 870-219-2488.
Frantz MOSANTO (1955 - )
Mosanto was born in 1955 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Following his secondary education, he became a sports reporter and photographer for "Info-Sport" and various magazines. However, Mosanto was attracted to art at a very early age and following his dream in 1979, he began to paint under the direction of Raymond Lafaille and Maurice Vital. He continued to work as a photographer while developing his art. His preferred medium is acrylic on canvas. Later on, he also learned metalwork that he continues to pursue today.
Asked to explain his art, Mosanto declares: "I work at my painting from day to day. Initially, I took photos of the landscapes of Jacmel where I discovered the kind of depth that is to be found in my paintings. At first I used to paint surrealist works of art like animals dressed up as men in jungles to express my view on human nature but I prefer landscapes. That is where I found my own colors. There's a mist in Jacmel and in Kenskoff. There's a lot of wind in my landscapes. In the past the country was green. I paint big thick trees like apricot trees or lemon trees. I paint the mist because it conceals the reality. You can't find those landscapes anymore, all the trees have been cut down. My paintings are now only a reminder of things past, of all things beautiful”
Levoy EXIL (1944- )
Born October 19, 1944 in Soisson-la Montagne, Haiti, Levoy Exil is one of the founders of the Saint-Soleil School of Painting which began as a peasant commune and became a world-famous art movement.
Considered "avant-guard" in the 1970s, this famous school borrows little from other influences in Haitian art (aside from vodou), and lent a new image to Haitian painting.
In the words of Andre Malraux, who "discovered" this new movement in 1974 and introduced it to the world - "it is impossible to determine where it came from or to whom it speaks." In L'Intemporal, Malraux quotes Louisianne Saint-Fleurant to the effect that: "It is through Vodou that we would best approach the creative process of the Saint Soleil painters. In the final analysis, the painter paints because he or she is 'mounted' (possessed) and paints what the loa wants."
Exil is one of Seldon Rodman's favorite painters, and he devotes a large part of a chapter of his book "Where Art Is Joy" to this artist. Rodman considers Exil "the most lyrical" of this school of artists. Among the numerous prestigious exhibitions featuring Exil's work was "Haiti: Art Naif, Art Vaudou" at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris in 1988.
Exil, along with fellow Saint Soleil School co-founder Dieuseul Paul is among the few original members of this school still alive and painting. We are confident that his work will continue to grow in international esteem and no doubt value over the coming years.
Lamarre SANON (1953- )
Lamarre Sanon was born in 1953 in a family of artists. His mother was a painter until she abandoned painting for sewing. His older brother, Roosevelt Sanon, is a well-known painter with a studio in New York. At the age of 18, He became his older brother’s disciple. He did not develop his own art until his early forties when he became more confident about his work and promptly started being recognized. One of his goals is to create colors that go beyond nature. He wants to represent humanity within imaginary landscapes. Sanon, during an interview, declared that “I have so much inspiration in my head that I feel that my head will explode if I do not paint”. He is an optimist: “tomorrow will be beautiful”. His art has been exhibited around the world; the most recent exhibit was at the French Embassy in the Dominican Republic in commemoration of the week of Francophony in Spring 2007. His studio is in Boca Raton, Florida.
Robingo Fils THOMAS (1977- )
Born in 1977 in Port-au Prince, Haiti, Robingo studied at the College Leclerc Tertulien. In 2002, he entered the National School of Arts in Port-au-Prince where he spent three years studying art history. From 2000 to 2004, he was a drawing teacher and a member of an artist association called Echo 2000. He emigrated to the Dominican Republic to continue his studies in art at the national school of fine arts (ENBA).
He has met and been exposed to the work of many contemporary and older artits like Ralph Franklin, Peter Austin, Morab Polidor, Lucson Guerrier, Jimmy Light, and Fritzner Cedon. They have all helped him develop his art. Hi work has been exhibited in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Saint Martin.
