Salnave Philippe Auguste (Haitian, 1908-1989)

Salnave Philippe Auguste was a Haitian artist born on January 27, 1908, and died in Port-au-Prince on June 2, 1989. He was one of the first Haitian artists to paint jungle scenes. “His precise and colorful draftsmanship draws up a humorous inventory of popular beliefs” (Peintres Haitiens, Gerald Alexis). Salnave Philippe Auguste was also a self-educated lawyer. A three-time magistrate, he has written several works on Haitian laws and a collection of poetry. In 1958, Salnave started to paint to create a sufficient income to raise his eight children. In 1960, he joined the Centre d’Art and developed a personal style where animals from Africa and human beings live together. Salnave used vivid hues and a striking use of flat surface color. His admirable winged women, earthly paradises, and marvelous fruit-laden tropical trees earned him immediate recognition. Women highly inspire him, and the female nude haunts his paintings. Salnave Philippe Auguste is the most verbally articulate of the Haitian primitive painters. He has been exhibited in Haiti and the U.S., and his works are priced well as they are rarely copied. Women were the source of his keenest inspiration. Several books on Haitian art mentioned his art. Scroll down to make your selection (s).