Préfète Duffaut
Encyclopedia
Préfète Duffaut is a Haiti
an painter. Born near Jacmel
(Sud-Est Department
), where he lives and works, The painter Pauleus Vital (1918–1984) was Duffaut's half-brother, the painter Jean Charles Duffaut (*1970) is his son. Duffaut's mother died when he was two years old.
Duffaut was one of the painters, alongside important Haitian artists such as Gesner Abelard
and Rigaud Benoit
, at the Centre d'Art in the Haitian capital. In the early 1950s Duffaut was one of several artists invited to paint murals in the interior of the Cathedral of Sainte Trinité
(largely destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake) in Port-au-Prince
; his works there were titled "The Temptation of Christ" and "The Processional Road" (also referred to as the "Procession of the Cross").
Duffaut paints in the vernacular style and his oeuvre typically consists of fantastical "imaginary cities" (villes imaginaires), that often contain coastal elements with boats. The cityscapes are strongly influenced by the coastal city of Jacmel. Another recurrent theme, especially in earlier works, is imagery associated with Vodou.
Duffaut's work has been exhibited and collected widely outside of Haiti. His body of paintings continues to be a strong influence on contemporary Haitian artists such as Prince Luc (Luckner Candio).
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an painter. Born near Jacmel
Jacmel
Jacmel, also known by its indigenous Taíno name of Yaquimel, is a town in southern Haiti founded in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est and has an estimated population of 40,000, while the municipality of Jacmel had a population of 137,966 at the 2003 Census.The buildings are...
(Sud-Est Department
Sud-Est Department
Sud-Est is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It has an area of 2,023 km² and a population of 518,200 . Its capital is Jacmel...
), where he lives and works, The painter Pauleus Vital (1918–1984) was Duffaut's half-brother, the painter Jean Charles Duffaut (*1970) is his son. Duffaut's mother died when he was two years old.
Duffaut was one of the painters, alongside important Haitian artists such as Gesner Abelard
Gesner Abelard
Gesner Abelard, is a Haitian painter and sculptor. Born in Port-au-Prince, Abelard began life as a mechanic, then studied painting and sculpture at the Industrial School of Port-au-Prince under the painter Humberman Charles. He became a member of the Haitian Centre d'Art in 1948...
and Rigaud Benoit
Rigaud Benoit
Rigaud Benoit had become, well before his death, one of the three or four most highly prized Haitian artists.A native of Port-au-Prince, Benoit had been a shoemaker, musician, and taxi driver before making his living as a painter...
, at the Centre d'Art in the Haitian capital. In the early 1950s Duffaut was one of several artists invited to paint murals in the interior of the Cathedral of Sainte Trinité
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince
The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince is the main cathedral within the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. The present Holy Trinity Cathedral is located in downtown Port-au-Prince at the corner of Ave. Mgr. Guilloux & Rue Pavée...
(largely destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake) in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
; his works there were titled "The Temptation of Christ" and "The Processional Road" (also referred to as the "Procession of the Cross").
Duffaut paints in the vernacular style and his oeuvre typically consists of fantastical "imaginary cities" (villes imaginaires), that often contain coastal elements with boats. The cityscapes are strongly influenced by the coastal city of Jacmel. Another recurrent theme, especially in earlier works, is imagery associated with Vodou.
Duffaut's work has been exhibited and collected widely outside of Haiti. His body of paintings continues to be a strong influence on contemporary Haitian artists such as Prince Luc (Luckner Candio).
External links
- Le peintre Préfète Duffaut et la genèse de son oeuvre - Article about the oevre of Duffaut on Caraïb Express Blog by Marie Flore Domond. (French text)
- Préfète Duffaut: piété et urbanisme imaginaire - Excerpt of a 2007 documentary directed by Arnold Antonin. (French and Haitian Creole language)
- Michel Monnin on Préfète Duffaut (French text)
- A History of Haitian Art - Posted on discoverhaiti.com.