Oil on board
In this painting, a mother bathes her child, likely in a pond or stream. The mother takes up most of the canvas. She has one arm holding her standing child and one art reaches above her head and towards her child’s head. She pours water on the child’s head from a small yellow bowl. Her arms make almost a complete circle, which is completed by the water and her child. The circular sweep of the composition frames and emphasizes the relationship between mother and child. The painting is characterized by shapes that create defined positive and negative spaces. The symbolism of the circular shape can have many interpretations. In what ways do you think the image of a circle reflects the relationship between mother and child?
Artist Bio: S.E. Bottex was born in 1922 in Port Margot in the north of Haiti. After finishing secondary school, Bottex worked as a photographer. Around 1955, encouraged by his older brother, Jean-Baptiste, a well-known Haitian artist, he began to do drawings in color. In 1961 he joined the Centre d'Art, and in 1969 he began to paint in the atelier of the Galerie Issa.
Bottex used bright colors and clear, strong lines to depict biblical, historical and local scenes. His use of strong, curved lines gives his work a unique style.
Living in New Jersey, USA in his later years, Bottex passed away at the age of 93 in 2016.
