Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16

Wilson Bigaud
Modern Colorful Abstract Figurative Christian Nativity Scene Haitian Painting

20th Century

About the Item

Modern colorful figurative painting of the Christian nativity scene. The work feature a central baby Jesus figure in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, and various farm animals. Through the back window the star of Bethlehem can be seen in the sky. Signed by the artist in the front lower right corner. Currently hung in a light gold frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 24 in. x W 24 in. Artist Biography: Wilson Bigaud first had the notion to become an artist from watching his neighbor, Hector Hyppolite, paint. He did a few sculptures out of clay, which he took to the Centre d'Art. DeWitt Peters suggested that he should try painting instead, which turned out to be Bigaud's real medium. He joined the Centre d'Art in 1946. Bigaud's art gave new meaning and purpose to his life. It gave him both the possibility of overcoming poverty and desperation and the opportunity to release inner tensions and express his own thoughts about the social fabric of Haitian life. However, he suffered a series of nervous breakdowns between 1957 and 1961. According to Rigaud Benoit, who knew him very well, a shooting in Bigaud's neighborhood caused his illness. The years of his creativity and collapse were years of political upheaval in Haiti. Con­sidering the artist's themes in retrospect, it is as if he antici­pated the events that eventually overwhelmed his sensibil­ity. He is said to live now in Petit-Goave under the close surveillance of his family. Bigaud's masterpiece is the mural Marriage at Cana, exe­cuted between 1950 and 1951 for Holy Trinity Cathedral. The wedding scene can be understood as a pretext for showing Haitian life as the artist sees it. Most of his themes are included. The murder in the jungle, the cemetery, the unnerving rhythm of the drums and the primeval sounds of rara, the poverty, and the mystery of voodoo are all bathed in a strange yellow light typical of Bigaud's work. In his paintings, the world is transformed into a demonic place, full of violent feelings, held together by the power of authority. Characteristic of Bigaud's style is an emphasis on perspective and volume and an awareness of the effects of light and shadow. His color range was broad, although he rarely used pure, bright colors. Bigaud has continued to paint, but his work is no longer of high quality. The colors are now chalky and muddy. The themes have become more peaceful and subdued, awakening hopes for a recovery and a return to previous greatness.
  • Creator:
    Wilson Bigaud (1931 - 2010, Haitian)
  • Creation Year:
    20th Century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30.13 in (76.54 cm)Width: 30.25 in (76.84 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age.
  • Gallery Location:
    Houston, TX
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CA246.2022.0804.43101stDibs: LU551311546442
More From This SellerView All
  • "Bali" Impressionist Figurative Painting
    Located in Houston, TX
    Impressionist figurative painting of a woman dancing. The work is signed by, I Fantje who was an Indonesian Asian Modern & Contemporary painter born in 1931. ...
    Category

    20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Abstract Impressionist Figurative Painting of Two Girls Attributed to David Park
    By David Park
    Located in Houston, TX
    Green, purple, and pink abstract figurative painting of two young girls (possibly David Park's daughters) attributed to American artist David Park. This pai...
    Category

    20th Century Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden Reimagined in Jacmel, Haiti Folk Art Painting
    By Dieudonne Vital
    Located in Houston, TX
    Colorful, tropical interpretation of the Garden of Eden in Jacmel, Haiti by Haitian artist Dieudonne Vital. The work features a pair of central figures...
    Category

    1980s Abstract Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Untitled Expressionist Style Figurative Abstract On Masonite
    By Morris Gluckman
    Located in Houston, TX
    Early Morris Gluckman abstract painting of a black shadow figure holding a pink item. Artist Biography: Morris Gluckman was born in 1894 in Kiev, Russia. He was an active artist in...
    Category

    1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Masonite, Oil

  • "Tchaikovsky Series No. 14"
    By Sara Sosnowy
    Located in Houston, TX
    Sea foam green and cream abstract by Susan Sosnowy in 1993 titled "Tchaikovsky Series, No. 14". Signed, titled, and dated on reverse. The canvas is not framed. Artist Biography: The...
    Category

    1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Abstract Figurative Primary Color Circus Acrobat Clown Painting
    By Forrest Bess
    Located in Houston, TX
    Forrest Bess's laboriously textured multi-colored painting resembles a scene of two circus acrobats/clowns and is a unique piece amongst his larger body o...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

You May Also Like
  • Paul Manes - Sunset Park 26, Painting 2012
    By Paul Manes
    Located in Greenwich, CT
    Manes has had an extensive career since studying at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Hunter College (New York) in 1983. Domestically he has shown cross-country, in museums and galle...
    Category

    2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Paul Manes - Sunset Park 24, Painting 2012
    By Paul Manes
    Located in Greenwich, CT
    Manes has had an extensive career since studying at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Hunter College (New York) in 1983. Domestically he has shown cross-country, in museums and galle...
    Category

    2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Cotton Canvas, Oil

  • French Contemporary Abstract Painting Gold Highlights Expressionist Composition
    Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
    Artist/ School: French expressionist/ abstract contemporary artist, 21st century Title: Abstract composition Medium: oil/mixed media painting on canvas, unframed. canvas: 25.75...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Canvas, Mixed Media

  • atelier 9, still life, abstract studio, oil on canvas, expressionism, french
    By SOPHIE DUMONT
    Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
    Abstract artist's studio in orange hues with a texture that is still present and hues that vibrate with the succession of layers on the canvas. The canvases are scattered on the floo...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Mid 20th Century French Expressionist Abstract Portrait Very Thick Impasto Oil
    Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
    Abstract Portrait French School, mid 20th century oil on board, unframed 36 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition though there i...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Enigma. Original Oil Painting. Eccentric & Bohemian. Modern British. Welsh.
    By Meryl Watts
    Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
    Meryl Watts. English ( b.1910 – d.1992 ) Enigma. Oil on Board. Signed. Image size 22.4 inches x 19.3 inches ( 57cm x 49cm ). Frame size 26.4 inches x 22.8 inches ( 67cm x 58cm ). Av...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

Recently Viewed

View All