Theard Aladin (October 12, 1925 – August 17, 1993) was a Haitian self-taught artist, noted for his artwork depicting Haitian life and use of bright colors in paintings.

Biography

Aladin was from Jacmel, a city on the southern coast of Haiti. After working as a stonemason and farmer for many years, Aladin suffered a serious back injury in 1983, which left him unable to continue this line of work.[1] For months he supported his family by doing odd jobs around Jacmel, but in fall of 1984, he had a dream in which he was told that he was an artist.[1] The very next day, he began his first painting.[1] Shortly thereafter, Aladin moved to a house in Carrefour, a commune outside of Port-au-Prince, where he worked closely with other Haitian artists until 1987.[1] The subject matter of his paintings was typically scenes of working-class Haitians, but occasionally Aladin depicted religious accounts inspired by Haitian Vodou.[2]

Aladin's artwork has been featured in books, including "The Vodou Box" by Manuela Dunn Mascetti.[2] He was also mentioned in the book Latin American and Caribbean Artists of the Modern Era: A Biographical Dictionary which said he was "noted for his colorful naive compositions depicting Haitian life."[3]

He died of heart disease on August 17, 1993, at the age of 68.[1]

Theard had nine children, among which is artist Agathe Aladin.[3] She spent much of her early life watching and helping her father paint.[4]

His work is included in various galleries and exhibitions including "The Jonathan Demme Collection of Self-Taught Art" (2014) at Material Culture Gallery in Philadelphia.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Haitian Paintings by Theard Aladin". Galerie Macondo. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  2. 1 2 The Vodou Box. Chronicle Books. August 2002. pp. 94–96. ISBN 9780811831093.
  3. 1 2 Shipp, Steve (2003). Latin American and Caribbean Artists of the Modern Era: A Biographical Dictionary of Over 12,700 Persons (in Spanish). McFarland & Company. p. 12. ISBN 9780786410576.
  4. ↑ "Life in Bold Colors, Haitian Art From the Collection of Patrick Jamieson". Academia.edu. Sonoma State University (SSU), University Library Art Gallery. March 12, 2007.
  5. ↑ "The Jonathan Demme Collection of Self-Taught Art". Issuu. Material Culture Gallery. p. 36. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
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