Ernst Louis Jean: Painting Life, its joys and its harsh realities

"As a poet chooses his pen or pencil to describe nature, as a singer chooses voice to sing of the beauty or struggle of nature, I use my brush and my canvas to express myself"

I think it is quite fitting that in our introductory profile of artists, we feature one of the most talented painters of the new generation and of the Diaspora, Ernst Louis Jean.

Ernst is an accomplished painter whose works have been exhibited in Haiti, and in various venues in the Northeastern United States. His palette has been acclaimed in numerous newspaper articles from media such as The New York Times and The Long Island Newsday, and his presence is regularly requested at numerous yearly exhibits in the New York area.

Ernst originates from the town of St-Marc, but grew up mostly in Port-au-Prince. As a kid, he was thus able to enjoy country and city life. Early on he expressed a natural ability towards drawing and creating toys out of cardboard. As a teenager, he taught himself how to paint. Shortly later, he produced a quite imaginative work that he entered into the very prestigious "Connaitre les jeunes peintres" contest organized by the Haitian government to help discover young artists. He won First prize.

Ernst has never stopped painted since. He is now an acomplished artist who yet still shies away from the limelight of the mainstream artistic scene. City and campaing life mark his work. A good portions of his works are inspired by everyday events, social and political issues: Elections, boat people, world misery are carved in harsh blues over poignant reds revealing torment, pain and questioning. One of his early masterpieces called "Misery" is his vision of the November 29 1987 Election Day massacre [shown at right]. Beyond the gore, the blood and the macabre lays a powerful message of shattered hopes, violated innocence expertly laid in fine strokes and brutal contrast.

Ernst is just as well drawn into the beauty and simplicity of peasant life, of children, and of nature. He trades the harsh blues and the deep reds for the azure and the earth tones that remind him of childhood, country life and something as simple as peasants getting ready for market day.

When he is not painting, Ernst works as an architect, plays soccer and tennis and enjoys fine music of all types. Ernst may not be a full-time painter, but he is a full-time artist at the soul. In school, many instructors would allow him to turn in his papers handwritten instead of typewritten because of the artistry of his script.

Let's sample some of the paintings by Ernst Louis Jean by going to the gallery.

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