Jonathan Greenland, Contributor

Kapo - Ackee Grove

Annabella Proudlock runs Harmony Hall, a leading art and craft gallery on the north coast. Here she discusses the exhibition, Intuitives III, and why she collects Jamaican intuitive art, with Dr. Jonathan Greenland, executive director of the National Gallery of Jamaica.

Greenland: Why do you collect Jamaican intuitive art?

Proudlock: When I first moved to Jamaica in the 1960s, I met the artists, Mallica 'Kapo' Reynolds, Brother Everald Brown and Ras Dizzy. I was overwhelmed by their personas and their art and started collecting from then on. I'd never seen anything like it before. I was coming from England where you are brought up on looking at the Old Masters or avant garde work. I'd never been exposed to anything like this before - the visual impact they had on me was astonishing. It wasn't only the painting, it was also the culture and the music, but the painting had the strongest impact on me.

Do you collect the work of self-taught artists from any other country?

I also collect paintings and papier-mâché from Haiti from the 1970s and 80s. From other countries I tend to collect more folk-art - paintings, ceramics, and textiles - and I tend to travel to countries with a strong handicraft tradition, for example, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Peru. I think nothing of lugging back hand-fired tiles, fantasy animals from Oaxaca, or paintings from the co-operative founded by Ernesto Cardinal on Islas Solentiname in Nicaragua.

The latter involved a 10-hour journey on a public bus and an out-on-the-deck 12-hour night-time ferry-ride across Lake Nicaragua! But to me, Jamaican intuitive art doesn't look like anything else, even though many people say they see a similarity with the work of other countries. I can only really talk about naîve art in Haiti because that's the one I am most familiar with but to me there is a huge difference. One thing is you cannot call it a 'school' of Jamaican Intuitive art. Each of the artists is pretty much working as an individual except from when you have a strong family connection, such as the Daleys, Artwells or the Browns. In Haiti there are different schools of self-taught art and there are many hundreds of people painting. But the Intuitives in Jamaica are, sadly, few and far between.

JG: Do you see a strong difference between Intuitive art and more mainstream art?

AP: Yes. The intuitive artists see everything in their own way - especially in terms of perspective, scale and their stories. To me it doesn't look like anything else, although the term 'na•f' can be applied to certain classically-trained artists in Jamaica. I also see a vast difference between Intuitive art and 'roadside art. Visit any craft market on the North Coast and you will see what I mean.

JG: Do you have a favourite work in the exhibition Intuitives III?

AP: I really love the whole exhibition. The downstairs is so strong and upstairs there were exciting artists whose work I did not really know before. I cannot give enough praise to the curator, Dr. David Boxer, and his team.

What Intuitive artists are you particularly interested in and why?

I try and have at least one representation of many Intuitives, but my main focus has been Brother Brown, Ras Dizzy and Kapo - his paintings not sculptures. I go way back with Albert Artwell to when I first saw his work at the Bolivar Gallery in the 70's. Powell was a neighbour when I lived in Stony Hill, Ras Dizzy used to come and visit. We were buying directly from them. I am surrounded by their paintings and they are also very affordable - far, far cheaper than buying the work of a mainstream artist. Then there is Leonard Daley, Wilfred Francis and Woody Joseph whom I would rate internationally.

I do love Allan Zion's work - I find it very refreshing and different. Even though he has such similar themes it is never repetitive. I am particularly delighted to see Zaccheus Powell's work in this show.

JG:Would you say your collecting is a compulsion, love or business?

AP: It was the first two until 1981 when we opened Harmony Hall in Ocho Rios. I was collecting before I went into the art business, but as soon as we had Harmony Hall I knew that I wanted to work strongly with the intuitive artists. We've had an Intuitive show every year since then, plus solo shows of many of the major Intuitives. This year we are having our 25 anniversary party on Thanksgiving Weekend - November 25,26. It's been a long hard grind, at times, but most of the time it has been a complete joy and honour to work with all of Jamaica's artists. We're hoping to have a big crowd. The original builder and architect of Harmony Hall Ben Eales is flying in - he hasn't been to Jamaica in 20 years. A lot of people will remember him - a real character.

JG: How do you go about your collecting? Do you actively seek out the artists or do they come to you?

AP: Both. I have scrambled up many mountains, entered many ghettos, and waded one river on numerous occasions. Nowadays some artists will bring their work to Harmony Hall and other collectors let me know about particular artists but I well remember the days of visiting Kapo in his old yard in Waterhouse, also Brother Brown when he was living on Spanish Town Road where he had a Nyabingi yard and also visiting him when he was living up a mountain. It is the same with the craftspeople too - a lot of these artists tend to live in remote country areas. It is partly because of the materials they use but they are all magical, wonderful places. Well worth the effort. But I do appreciate it when those people show in established galleries and exhibitions.

JG: What has been the most interesting experience with Intuitive artists?

AP: I remember once Kapo brought his entire congregation to an Intuitive opening at Harmony Hall. He had a church and he was always dressed up in turbans and he had a staff - Kapo was a very theatrical character. When he arrived with thirty ladies dressed in white and they start to hold a revival service under the tree outside Harmony Hall, it was one of those goose-bump moments. I also remember Brother Brown and his family performing at Harmony Hall: they had a great big four-person musical instrument, entirely hand-made. There is one of those in the National Gallery exhibition: it's a combination of drum, guitar, harp and finger-piano. Another wonderful aspect of working with the Intuitives has been the yearly meetings of all these amazing artists - such as Doc Williamson, Brother Brown, Albert Artwell. It was often their one time to communicate with each other and look at each other's art work.

JG: Do you have any advice for a young person who is interested in starting to collect Intuitive Art?

AP: Buy!! Buy!! Buy!! The prices are so reasonable. But I think that first of all they should go and see the exhibition at the National Gallery. It is truly a world-class exhibition. The education department can provide further information about the artists. And I am sure the Gallery will pass on contact information for the artists and also for the galleries that sell the works of artists in the exhibition. Most of the galleries in Kingston carry Intuitive work that is in the show - Bolivar, Grosvenor, Olympia, HiQo, The Frame Centre and 'The Mutual Gallery'. There is also a good representation of artists in the exhibition - including north coast artists like Sylvester Woods and Evadney Cruikshank - so they will get a good idea of what is out there.

JG: Are there any young Intuitive artists that you have your eye on at the moment?

AP: Not enough! Hopefully this exhibition might uncover some unknown talent! This is a factor that has been concerning me for a number of years. Most of the artists in this exhibition are in their 40's and 50's. I don't see the younger generation and I am sure it is part of the economic problems of trying to make a living and being an artist.

JG: Do you see a solution to this?

AP: Well if only we could afford to do what they did in Haiti in the 1930's which was to fling paint and paper at the country! Even if someone wants to be an artist in this country just to get the basic raw materials is really hard. This is why so many of the artists in the old days - like Albert Artwell - would use household paint. This is fine but then you have to find the brushes and paper and then they have to find a market. I am sure there are artists out there that are just discouraged. I knew a wonderful artist in the 1980's and 90's in St Mary and then I didn't see him for a while and then I heard he had died; then I heard his brother had burnt down his house with all his work inside because he didn't see any value in it. That, unfortunately, can be the attitude of friends and family to these particular artists. There is a lack of appreciation for their work. This is partly historical: think of Kapo - one of Jamaica's greatest artists - he was charged in the 1950's and 60's with carving 'graven images'. When I first came to Jamaica Intuitive artists were quite unacceptable. There was a tremendous renascence of art in the 1960's - featuring Parboosingh, Watson, Hyde, all these wonderful artists - but the Kapo's, Brother Brown's, and Ras Dizzy's were having a very different experience altogether.

Intuitives III is on view at the National Gallery of Jamaica until November 4. Original works are available at the National Gallery Shop. Please call us for more details at 9221561 or email us at natgalja@cwjamaica.com.