Ernst Prophete (Haitian/Cap-Haitien, b. 1950)
Vote Cius Kandida/Vote for Candidate Cius, 1994
Oil on masonite, 16 x 24 inches
Framed dimensions: 16 3/4 x 24 1/2 inches

Provenance:
Jonathan Demme (Oscar winning director)
Acquired from the above by present owner

Exhibited:
Haiti: Three Visions (1994), Ramapo College, New Jersey

Illustrated:
Haiti: Three Visions (Etienne Chavannes, Edger Jean-Baptiste, Ernst Prophete), plate 59/page 80

About this painting:
Ernst Prophete, presents a dynamic event of Haitian democracy in action. The scene is a lively gathering of Cius supporters, a local politician, as they cross a river. A police officer on horseback arrives to navigate the growing raucous crowd. Cius is the everyday person and anyone can be a popular politician.

After earning an electronics degree, Ernst Prophete, living in Port-au-Prince, formally started painting in 1972. Although untrained, Prophete had grown up in the same Cap-Haitien neighborhood as the Obin family. He admires thematic art, and wants his paintings to tell dynamic stories that have not been told, stories that engage with spirituality, industry, politics and democracy. His intention is to create a body of work that presents and preserves a significant historical record.