Ralph Allen
I am not an adept of voodoo, but I respect this religion just like the others. It is an important mainstay of our culture. From the beginning I introduced "veves" in my popular paintings to emphasize authenticity while avoiding folklore and demagogy.
I am in contact with other artists of the Black Diaspora, who make similar researches in the field of representation-abstraction, as the artist, Hector Charpentier from Martinique, says.
At that time, the academic orientation was rather technical contrary to that of the university, where art theory is very important. The teachers were renowned artists and among the best of that time.
At that time, a painting representing Martin Luther King's life drew the attention of a jury for the granting of a subsidy to American mural specialists. I was contacted, but I refused to change my nationality.