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With this post, we launch a new series of features on the pioneers of modern Jamaican art. This article was written by O’Neil Lawrence who acts as Assistant Curator.

Born on September 13^th 1911 in Kingston, Jamaica, David “Jack” Pottinger is considered by many to be one of Jamaica’s finest painters. He grew up on Prince Street in downtown Kingston, influenced by the rhythm of life vendors and many Pocomania meetings that took place there. He took a course in house painting, paid for by his mother so that he could do it professionally, and also embarked on the enterprise of sign painting at the encouragement of a Mr. Bailey: a butcher who believed there was something more to this young house painter. And there was; he was to become a central figure in the early defining years of the nationalist movement.

In the early 1940’s the young house and now sign painter was befriended by Ralph Campbell – another pioneering Jamaican artist – who encouraged him to participate in classes being taught by Edna Manley at the Institute of Jamaica’s Junior Centre.  Though he was reluctant at first, Pottinger’s talent blossomed under the tutelage of Edna Manley: while he already knew how to use colour but it was the fundamentals of drawing that he learned from Edna Manley that provided him with a solid foundation for his artistic work. By 1945 the works that he produced placed him firmly among the key figures of what came to be known as the “Institute Group,” the first coherent Jamaican art movement.

For the next sixty years Pottinger established himself as the prime painter of views of downtown Kingston. To quote the National Gallery’s Chief Curator Dr. David Boxer:

If [Albert] Huie is the rural landscapist of the nationalist movement par excellence then Pottinger can be defined as his urban counterpart. A self-portrait or two, a handful of landscapes usually drawn from the outskirts of Kingston, a few  “still lifes” and fewer still religious paintings aside, Pottinger’s life-work has been devoted to a single prescribed subject, but a subject of myriad possibilities: the streets and lanes, the sidewalks, buildings and backyards of old Kingston and the parade of walking, jostling, cart-pushing, higglering, swaying-to-the-spirit neighbours that move, squat, lounge, hawk, haggle on the byways of the old city where he was born. This prescribed subject and consistency and quality of his vision are the principal characteristics of his art.

During his career his palette darkened significantly and his paintings took on a more brooding character. Colour eventually stopped being merely functionally descriptive and began to be truly emotive. His brushstrokes became more and more impassioned while expressive distortions such as the attenuated figures which we find in his masterwork Walk Tall (1969) enter his work. His development arguably transformed him into an authentic Jamaican master.

In his later years however he would eventually abandon these radical distortions and return to his earlier style. This was not a regression; for he approached his subject matter with a far more accomplished and vibrant use of paint and colour. His compositions grew more complex and were now more rigid in their geometry.  With a style that could be referred to as “rejuvenated realism” he continued to elaborate on his oeuvre of Kingston street-side life.

Although he was a regular exhibitor in the Institute of Jamaica’s All- Island Exhibitions of Painting and the National Gallery’s National Exhibitions, Pottinger held few solo exhibitions during the sixty years of his career. Notable among those however were his 1974 and 1977 showings at Bolivar Gallery and his 1988 and 1990 exhibitions at the Mutual Life Gallery. Pottinger was awarded the silver Musgrave medal in 1987 and the Order of Distinction the same year. In 2001 to mark his 90^th birthday the National Gallery mounted a full scale retrospective of his work. On February 13^th 2002, David “Jack” Pottinger passed away leaving a rich legacy of work behind.

]]> http://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/jamaicas-art-pioneers-david-jack-pottinger-1911-2007/feed/ 0 nationalgalleryofjamaica http://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/2010-national-visual-arts-competition-and-exhibition-viewers-vote-winners/ http://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/2010-national-visual-arts-competition-and-exhibition-viewers-vote-winners/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:21:11 +0000 nationalgalleryofjamaica http://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/?p=2153 Continue reading →]]>

Berette Macauley, winner of the Claro Viewers' Vote, and David Sykes, winner of the TEF Viewers' Vote

The National Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition, our annual collaboration with the JCDC, not only attracts medals and sectional prizes but also allows members of the public to cast their vote. Until last year, there was a single Viewer’s Vote, cast by means of paper ballots. This year, for the first time, there were two Viewer’s Votes: one for the medal winners, sponsored by Claro and operated with text voting; the second for the remaining works in the exhibition, sponsored by the Tourism Enhancement Fund and which uses the conventional ballot voting method.

The results of this year’s dual Viewer’s Vote were announced on Thursday, August 19 on TVJ’s Smile Jamaica morning programme and the winners are:

David Sykes - One Set of Sneaker Prints in the Sand

TEF Viewers’ Vote Winner:

Artist:                           David Sykes

Artwork Title:               One Set of Sneaker Prints in the Sand

Category/Award:          Adult Works on Paper – Certificate of Participation

Berette Macaulay - Liquid Trees No. 033

Claro Viewers’ Vote Winner:

Artist:                           Berette Macaulay

Artwork Title:               Liquid Trees No. 033

Category/Award:          Adult Photography – Silver Medal

Berette Macaulay is a dancer and photographer, who is based in Jamaica and the USA, and David Sykes is a Jamaica-based graphic designer and a graduate of the Edna Manley College.

The NGJ joins with JCDC in congratulating the winners and thanks the sponsors, Claro and TEF, for their support.

Seya Parboosingh - Sharing at the Table (1999), Aaron and Marjorie Matalon Collection, NGJ

The NGJ deeply regrets the passing of Seya Parboosingh on Friday, August 13. This is our tribute to Seya.

The painter and poet Seya Parboosingh, née Samila Joseph, was born in 1925, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was of Lebanese descent. She attended the University of Iowa, where she concentrated on creative writing. Seya met and married Jamaican artist Karl Parboosingh in New York in 1957 and began to paint under his direction. The couple settled in Jamaica in 1958 and that year they had their first joint exhibition at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library. Seya spent most of her active life in Jamaica and was a well-recognized member of the Jamaican artistic community. She received the Institute of Jamaica’s Bronze Musgrave Medal for art in 1988.

Seya Parboosingh - Vestibule (c1960), Aaron and Marjorie Matalon Collection, NGJ

Seya’s work was visibly influenced by Karl Parboosingh’s style but she quickly found her own artistic voice, producing quiet, sensitively painted, autobiographic paintings that resonated with her poetic work and contrasted with her husband’s bold, declamatory expressionism. This is well illustrated by the following excerpt from one of her poems, dated circa 1975:

for the little girl's 

grown up pearls

the secret eye

of night sleeps

in a twinkling toychest

tonight the sky is

a tall horseman

saving the princess


-- Seya, c1975

The close artistic partnership between Seya and Karl Parboosingh continued until the time of his death in 1975 and arguably endured beyond that time.  Some of her most poignant works were visual expressions of her grief at his passing, such as the haunting In Prayer (1975) in which the marital bed became a coffin-like presence in the composition. As Petrine Archer-Straw wrote in 2000: “Ask her about her work and life, and inevitably she tells you about Karl, whom she simply calls Parboosingh. Their lives are still inextricably entwined, even though he died more than 25 years ago. Since then, Seya’s story has taken on epic proportions, reflecting her deepening understanding of how love transformed their lives and the lives of others. What started as a tale of two people now reflects her love for her husband, Jamaica and humanity.”

Seya Parboosingh - Epergene with Fruit (1999), Aaron and Marjorie Matalon Collection, NGJ

Seya was an enthusiastic and outspoken participant in the local artistic community and will always be remembered by the NGJ staff as a vocal presence at NGJ panel discussions and forums. Her artistic work had a significant following among collectors of Jamaican art and is well represented in Jamaican art collections, including those of the Bank of Jamaica and the National Gallery of Jamaica.

The Board and staff of the NGJ extend their sincere condolences to Seya’s family and friends.

A celebration of Seya’s life will be held at the UWI Chapel on Friday, August 20 at 3 pm.

Come and vote for your favorite art work in the exhibition! The numbers for the Claro text voting are as follows: Claro Viewers Vote List

Voting continues until Saturday, August 7. Please note that the NGJ will be closed for the Independence Holiday on Friday, August 6.

Posted with permission from Storm Saulter (and with thanks!)

Sections of Young Talent V – the exhibitions by Ebony G. Patterson, Oliver Myrie, Dion “Sand” Palmer, Christopher Harris, and Caroline “Sardine” Bops — have been held over until August 28.

Installation View, National Biennial III, 2008

The NGJ is launching its call for entries to the 2010 National Biennial, the fourth edition of this biennial national exhibition which succeeded the Annual National Exhibition in 2004. This year’s biennial, the National Biennial IV, will be held from December 12, 2010 to March 5, 2011. As has become customary, the National Biennial IV will include special tributes to any artists who have been granted Musgrave medals in 2009 or 2010. There will also be a special tribute to the late Jamaican master Albert Huie, who passed away in 2010.

The exhibition comprises an invited and a juried section. The invited section accommodates artists who have, in the estimation of the NGJ’s Exhibitions Committee, achieved a significant record of achievement and national or international acclaim. The juried section is open to all Jamaican artists and all artists resident in Jamaica and selections will be made by a panel of judges appointed by the NGJ’s Exhibitions Committee. The rules and regulations of the exhibition are attached, along with the entry forms for the juried exhibition.  Entries to the juried Invited artists will be notified and will receive their entry forms directly.

National Biennial 2010 – rules and regulations

National Biennial 2010 entry form – Juried

Installation view - National Biennial III, 2008 - tribute to Musgrave medallists Howard Moo-Young and Phillip Supersad

Michael Elliott - Loa Arise (2010) - Michael Elliott is one of the 14 young artists featured in Young Talent V

Young Talent V (until July 10): Last chance! If you have not yet seen it, or wish to see it again, next week is your last chance to see the exhibition in its entirety. Selections from the exhibition will however stay on view until the end of August.

Art on the Waterfront (July 12 – 30): The MultiCare Foundation and the NGJ are staging their annual art summer camp for children. Studio sessions will be held at nearby Studio 174 but the programme makes extensive use of the NGJ’s resources, by means of tours, gallery games and studio projects inspired by the art on view on in the permanent and temporary exhibitions. The programme is designed for children and teens from 6 to 18 years old and a limited number of spaces are still available. The participation fee is $ 1,000 per week.

2010 National Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition (July 25-August 28, 2010): The NGJ’s annual collaboration with JCDC opens to the public on Sunday, July 25 at 3 pm and remains on view for one month. As has become customary, admission fees to the NGJ are waived for the duration of this exhibition (tour fees still apply). This juried exhibition comprises a youth and adult section and attracts multiple medals and prizes, including a prize of the public. Visitors to the exhibition can participate in the voting for the latter from July 25 to August 7.

Edna Manley - Bogle (1965) (Photograph by David Boxer, 1970)

Bogle: the Creation of an Icon (September 26-November 2010): This exhibition documents the creation of Edna Manley’s Paul Bogle monument and the controversies that have surrounded this public monument. The exhibition is scheduled as part of the NGJ’s National Heritage week programme.

Phillip Thomas - The N-Train (2010) - Phillip Thomas was the winner of the 2008 Aaron Matalon Award

National Biennial IV (December 12, 2010 – March 2011): We are starting our preparations for the premier national art exhibition, the 2010 National Biennial, which will open on December 12, 2010. The National Biennial in 2004 succeeded the NGJ’s Annual National Exhibition, which had been held annually since 1977. In its current form, the National Biennial consists of an invited section, to which artists with an already well-established track record are invited by the NGJ to submit work, and a juried section, which is open to all Jamaican artists and all artists living in Jamaica and selected by a panel of judges representative of major stakeholders in the local artistic community. Artists participating in the exhibition qualify for the prestigious Aaron Matalon Award for the best entry by a single artist and may also be considered for acquisition awards. The call for entries for the 2010 edition has been issued and entries to the juried section will close on Friday, October 15. Invited artists will receive their letters of invitation shortly. Entry forms and brochures with the rules and regulations of the National Biennial will be available as of July 5 and can be collected from the NGJ or downloaded from this blog (see separate “Call for Entries” post – forthcoming).

For more information on these exhibitions and Art on the Waterfront, call us at 1.876.922-1561/3 (Lime fixed line); 1.876.618-0654/5 (Digicel fixed line); fax: 1.876.922-8544; e-mail: natgalja@cwjamaica.com

Note: Slides 1 to 9 were digitized from negatives, slides 10 to 12 are digital photographs.