Ralph Allen
Without Obin, Hypolite, etc, we would have been known only as the poorest country of the Hemisphere, a dictator's paradise with the only merit to be the first black republic of the world to be independent.
Without a good cultural policy, without adequate help, we will always have individualists, shooting stars who are rapidly forgotten or who stop painting for a more profitable occupation.
The magic of creation has always fascinated me.
The colors and creativity of our painters attracted me, but I remember that I was shocked by the lack of proportion.
The acknowledgement of Haitian art at the international level is thanks to Haitian naive art. It is our reference.
Siquieros' Cri in the Museum of Modern Art of New York deeply impressed me. From this day, my life took a turning point, hence the social character of my work.
People are predominant in my paintings. Although they are not obvious, you can feel their presence.
My mother stopped painting to become a good spouse. One of my aunts was an artist. The American artist, Kira Markham, and I lived in the same district.
My most recent paintings are a mixture of realism and futurism, representation and geometrical distortion to reflect movement.
My first paintings were anatomic, monochrome, with close-up characters and spots of colors in the background or they were barely worked out. Then I started to develop structures, superposition to amplify emotion.
My first concern was to take care of my drawing. I did not have any knowledge in arts, especially Haitian arts, apart from the paintings I saw in my father's office.
Jean-Michel Basquiat would not be the genius he presently is. Haitian art is sold at Sotheby's or in Drouault, even if Haitian naive art is treated like a poor relation in books of Art History.
If you want to evaluate the new generation, those artists who are now arising, the students, there is certainly a lot of talented young people "in embryo" awaiting favorable conditions to come to light. We need a real open and dynamic School of Art.
I worked three and then six hours a day in my studio with strict discipline and emotion. I obtained awards usually granted to other foreigners during the end-of-year admission tests.
I will add that, since my younger years, I learned to appreciate Haitian Art with my father, who worked in a building in the "Bicentenaire", where the halls hosted art exhibitions.
I used to draw during my final year of school. When I was studying in the United States, I used to draw during my English classes. My teacher talked about me with one of his colleagues, who was responsible for the Art Section and who lead me to two famous art schools of New York.
I paint according to the moment and the theme. I don't have any prejudice. Life concerns me.
I like children, old people expressive faces, the curves of female nudes, the lines of a breast, the curves of a woman's hip, to paraphrase Aznavour.
I have always been skeptical about the expression "young artists". Many artists were famous in their twenties. Age is not a factor, an artistic notation.
I did not follow a regular cycle. Concerning painting, Daniel Green and then Hugh Gumpel, who understood that I was in search of something else than simply the academic route, were my teachers.