The Art of Haiti by Eleanor Ingalls Christensen (review)

Books 165 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, Hobbs tells in great detail that it is a bustling ‘focal point’ for shoppers, diners, strollers, businessmen, pickpockets, prostitutes and tourists. Another example might, to politically-sophisticated students, be regarded humorously, were it not for the serious heavy-handedness with which it is treated. In the chapter entitled ‘The Hero’, Hobbs compares movieactor John Wayneto King Arthur, Theseus and &us! The Art of Haiti. Eleanor Ingalls Christensen. A. S. Barnes, Cranbury, N.J., Thomas Yoseloff, London, 1975. 126pp., illus. $15.00, f6.00. Reviewed by Constance E. Wagar* I knew nothing ofthe art of Haiti until I opened this book. Then, what a fascinating panorama was spread before me! The book opens with a brief review of Haiti’s history, its geographical features and their bearing on its art. Of the early stages, Christensen says: ‘Allin all, this period of violent contrastsin the history of Haiti-ranging from the horrors of the slave traffic and these people’s degrading and killing servitude, to the development of the world‘s richest colony- was not to produce any artist of significance or enduring memory’ (p. 29). So, perhaps it is not so surprising to find in the 20th century an instance of a sudden and prolific interest in art. The author pays high tribute to De Witt Peters, an artist who arrived from the U.S.A. in 1943 to teach English at the Government Lycke. He soon became the moving spirit behind a growingconsciousnessof the importance of aesthetic expression. His chiefcontribution was the establishment of the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince in 1944.Three pagesof the book aredevoted to a chronology of the Centre (Appendix A). The annotations give evidence of careful research, but since they are all from secondary sources, one wonders how long Christensen stayed in Haiti (mention is made of a ‘visit’in 1969) and whether she made direct contact with any of the artists. Appendix B contains brief biographies of more than 100 artists of the 20th century; three are sculptors and the remainder are predominantly primitive painters. This is followed by a useful bibliography and an index. The most delightful feature of the book is thecollection of 36illustrations in colour and 38in black and white. But why were not the works of these Haitian artists dated, to permit one to trace their historical background? I recommend this book to those who have a special interest in the art history of the Third World. After the Hunt: William Harnett and Other American Still Lire Painters187W900.Revisededition. Alfred Frankenstein. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, 1975.200pp., illus.f21.OO. Reviewed by Howard S .Memitt** This is a welcomereprinting of the revised second edition (1969) of a classicwork on William Michael Harnett (1848-1892) and late 19th-century trompe-l’oeilstill-lifepainting in the U.S.A. Its title is well chosen-not only was Harnett’s most famous painting so named, but in his book Frankenstein presents the well-organizedand illustrated running account and results of his own lengthy and most interesting detective work in developing a clear picture of the artist’s life and compiling an oeuvre catalog (154 works recovered by 1969). It was not easy. Following the Harnett revival of the mid-l930’s, more than 100 works attributed to him were known by 1947. Wide stylistic and qualitative differences among them raised numerous questions whose answers Frankenstein decided to seek out. Indoing so he discovered that many so-called Harnetts were, in fact, paintings by John Frederick Pet0 and a number of lesser artists, bearing forged Harnett signatures. As the author puts it: ‘ . . .a piece of research that started out with a critical biography of Harnett as its only objective had to raise its sights to include the whole of American still lifefrom 1870to 1900.’This enormous task, by no means yet completed, had turned up by 1969 some 44 still-life *Naparima Girls’ High School, San Fernando, Trinidad, West Indies. **Dept of Fine Arts, College of Arts and Science,University of Rochester, RiverCampus Station, Rochester, NY 14627,U.S.A. painters, most of whom were either followers of, or influenced by, Harnett. From this number, Frankenstein...