Haitian Art!

After the terrifying earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince this week I have been looking through art by Haitian artists.

I am surprised by the happiness these paintings show. With red, gold and green as the basic colors it makes you feel these people have a refreshing high spirit.

The nature looks lush and thriving, in a Country that has cut down 98% of its original forest. The food and fruit looks abundant, while the people are starving and poverty ridden, 80% live below the poverty line. There seems to be many parties to celebrate even for the poorest nation of the hemisphere. A lot of Vodou symbolism and fables are represented while the people are illiterate and politically repressed.

Artists like H.R. Bresil (shown to the right) has had commercial success with his "Green Jungle" pictures. While Andre Pierre is probably the most famous artist with his Haitian Vodou pictures. His greatest mission was to bring forth the positive aspects of Vodou and let it be accepted as any other religion.

Dewitt Peters an American school teacher started Centre DÁrt in the 1940´s this has been a place for the Artists of the "Naive Art" to get international recognition.

www.haitianartsociety.org is a great place to get more information and also to view the links to many of the Galleries showing this nations brilliant, humorous and sparkly art.

Please help the Haitians by donating to one or more of these great organizations:

http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

http://www.redcross.org/

http://www.un.org/en/

http://www.reddbarna.no