Abstract

Abstracts

The abstract art depicted in this section represents various journeys over time into abstract representation.
The painting at left, titled "Guyana Emergent", was created almost 50 years ago and is one of the first oil paintings attempted by the artist. It is also his first attempt at abstraction and is constructed to depict the centuries following the discovery of the artist's fatherland Guyana, by Columbus in 1492. The numbers "4" to "9" surrounding the central "1" depict each hundred years from the 15th to the 20th century.

Major historical social and political events during that time are stated in a variety of marks placed at the approximate dates within the century during which they occurred. For example, the gold mark at the lower end of the figure "4" approximates the discovery of the country in 1492, when it was named "City of Gold" by the Spaniards, because of it's great gold wealth. Changes in colonization by the Spanish, Dutch and British are marked, as are the periods of decimation of the native American population, influx by indentured laborers and slaves repatriated to Guyana by the British, slave rebellions and abolition of slavery. The work culminates at the country's independence from colonial rule in 1966 with a depiction of the national flag. The intent in creating this painting was to read the country's history through it.