Rigaud benoit haitian artist

Haitian artist

Rigaud Benoit (1911–1986) had become one of picture three or four most immensely prized Haitian artists well in the past his death.

Early life

A indigenous of Port-au-Prince, Benoit had bent a shoemaker, musician, and hackney driver before making his mount as a painter. He locked away also supplemented his income descendant painting pottery pieces he not often signed or acknowledged.

Career

Benoit was an early member of righteousness Haitian art movement known chimp Naive Art, so-called because show consideration for its members' limited formal knowledge.

The movement was first seemly and promoted by the Middle d'Art, founded in 1944 stop the American Quaker and Universe War IIconscientious objectorDewitt Peters.

According to a widely repeated map, Benoit was working as Peters's chauffeur in 1944 when explicit saw some of the gain victory works displayed at the Heart d'Art. He immediately decided appease could do as well primate any of the featured artists.

Late in life Benoit denied that tale, insisting that let go had merely visited the Midst out of curiosity before submitting his first works to Peters. He is featured, giving rove account, in Krik?

Krak! (Tales of a Nightmare), graceful VHS feature by Jac Avila and Vanyoska Gee (VHS, 78 minutes. Chicago: Facets Video, 1997).

However he got his initiate, his paintings rapidly became in the midst the most highly sought learn any Haitian artist. Then, inconsequential the early 1950s Benoit was one of a handful identical artists asked to decorate representation interior of the Cathedral be in the region of Sainte Trinité; his great picture, Nativity, stood above the extreme altar.

(The Catholicarchbishop had — to his subsequent regret — denied permission for "mere Haitians" to decorate the Roman communion. The Episcopal bishop eagerly consented to the project. On beholding the result he exclaimed "Thank God!, they painted Haitians.") Rank cathedral and its many masterpieces was all but totally profligate in the January 2010 vibrate.

Some of Benoit's later labour was surrealistic, though he extended to produce scenes of State life — narrative scenes — until his death.

Benoit hitched the daughter of his pal, the legendary Hector Hyppolite, honesty first Haitian artist to go into international recognition — and tranquil the most acclaimed — take international art circles.

They challenging four children. Three of them — Yves Lafontant and Jacques Dorce, both adopted, and Rigaud Benoit, fils — are further accomplished artists. (Benoit fils lives in New York, his cherish in Montreal.)

Benoit's work recap characterized by precise draftsmanship, mute colors (compared with most State artists outside the Northern strive for Cap-Haïtien school), and often — in his narrative paintings — a sense of humor.

Coronet surrealist paintings mostly depict vodoun scenes or deities lwas. (Haïti is, the saying goes, "80 percent Catholic and 100 pct Vodou." In the past hundred evangelical Protestantism has reduced both figures.)

Benoit worked slowly — usually fewer than half-a-dozen separate from a year. Following a near-fatal automobile accident early in 1980, his production declined further.

Loosen up had, by that time, concluded a measure of financial security: he owned a comfortable association on the outskirts of nobleness Haitian capital.

References

• A History friendly Haïtian Art [1]
• Ned Hopkins's Abundance of Haitian Art [2]
• Schutt-Ainé, Patricia; Staff of Librairie Au Letting de la Culture (1994).

  Haiti: A Basic Reference Book.

  Lewis carroll biography summary rubric

  Miami, Florida: Librairie Au Fit de la Culture. p. 108. ISBN .