Art

Haiti’s folk art tradition goes back more than two hundred years. A former slave named Luc, of Leogane, earned a reputation as a painter during French Colonial times. Presidents Henri Christophe and Alexandre Pétion were both patrons of the arts; in the 1840s, Emperor Soulouque founded the Imperial Academy of the Arts.

American schoolteacher DeWitt Peters, arriving in Haiti in the 1940s, was impressed by the raw artistic talent he saw in many untrained and often uneducated painters, workers of all trades who would go home from their day jobs and produce these marvelous works of art. In 1944, he founded the Centre d'Art in Port-au-Prince and became an advocate of Haitian art--a style known as folk, naïve, or intuitive art, characterized by vivid colors, proportions that don't follow the rules, and freedom of expression. Peters provided exhibition as well as instruction space, and he and his school brought Haitian folk art to the attention of the Western world.

This style of art soon achieved worldwide fame. Collectors value highly the works of the masters, and Haitian art is some of the most appreciated art in the world.

The Haitian folk art movement has been controversial because the label of "authenticity" was placed on it to the exclusion of others style of art. Much Haitian art differs from the expected style; if you’re familiar with art, you’ll recognize works reminiscent of Matisse and Cezanne; the abstract artists such as Picasso, Chagall, and Dali; the cubists; painters of larger-than-life flowers like Diego Rivera and Georgia O’Keeffe; even Van Gogh. Some wonder who gave Western art critics the right to decide what represents true Haitian art, and Haitian painters to this day struggle with this preconceived notion of what Haitian art "should" be.

The resourcefulness of the Haitian people is evident in their use of materials. While these paintings appear to be applied to canvas, a look at the back of a piece often reveals that it is actually painted on recycled fabric that may be plaid or flowered. This surprising touch just adds to the charm of the work—and to our appreciation for the ability of these people to make beautiful things out of what we might dismiss as useless.

Have you heard of Haitian metal drum art?

Metal drums, the 55-gallon ones used for transporting oil or other products, are transformed into elaborate designs ranging from trees and flowers, birds and animals, to people, angels, and Biblical scenes.

Some pieces are made from new oil drums, but usually they are recycled ones purchased near the port in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and brought to the neighboring town of Croix-des-Bouquets by handcart or on top of a "tap-tap" (taxi). Croix-des-Bouquets is the center of the Haitian metalwork movement, and if you were to stroll through the town, you would hear the sounds of many Haitian metal drum artists at work in their workshops.

Metal drum art in Haiti began in the early 1950s with blacksmith Georges Liautaud. In his humble shop, Liautaud had been making and repairing tools and creating simple metal crosses for the graves in the Croix-des-Bouquets cemetery. Teacher DeWitt Peters encouraged Liautaud to expand into the creation of decorative metal sculptures. A few talented men apprenticed under him, and the tradition has continued; a metal drum artist will apprentice others, who will branch out and go into business themselves.

The artist first removes the top and bottom of the drum and places them inside the cylinder along with dried banana or sugar cane leaves. He sets the dry leaves on fire to burn away any paint or other residue. After the metal has cooled, the artist cuts the cylindrical drum from top to bottom, then pounds it into a flattened rectangle of approximately three by six feet.

The artist draws his design onto the metal sheet with chalk, then cuts it out with a mallet and chisel. Using these and other simple tools, he pounds the various decorative patterns into the metal. His designs will include areas that are concave and convex; he creates intricate patterns by hammering in bumps of different heights. Some pieces have three-dimensional elements. Some are very colorful, while others are left with a metallic appearance.

The artist signs the finished design and coats it with a protective varnish. Many art lovers prefer the art to be aged with rust, then sealed afterward. The pieces can be displayed indoors or out.

We also have a limited selection of handmade women’s shoes, and Noelle’s "trash treasures" have been created in the spirit of Haitian resourcefulness.