The profession of Illustrator, painter or even sculptor is often misunderstood in Haiti. Many people think that they are idle individuals who get lost between the lines, colors and nuances of their daily lives while trying paying their monthly bills. However, very few people know that some of them earn a very good living with their art, despite the poverty of the country. Phillipe Dodart, visual artist and caricaturist in his sixties, is a perfect example.
According to his Wikipedia page, he studied at the “PotoMitan” art school with Jean-Claude “Tiga” Garoute, Patrick Vilaire and Frido Casimir during the 1960s. Then, in 1973, he entered the “Académie des Beaux- Arts“. Then he worked as a model maker and founded an audiovisual graphic arts studio. In 1978, he was honored to receive a scholarship to Bordeaux, France, to specialize in Educational Graphic Design!
Later, he will have exhibitions all over the world, taking the Caribbean sun with him to present his origins from another angle. His Wikipedia page also tells us that his works of art evolved to include large sculptures, iron works and fine jewelry and was elevated to the rank of “Knight of the National Order of the Lion” at the Museum of Dakar (Black Civilisation) in 2018. His caricatures for the Haitian Daily “Le Nouvelliste” has also conquered the hearts of their readers especially during the post-dictatorship period of Duvalier’s and illustrated for the famous school books editor “Henri Deschamps“.
This former student of St Martial continues to push the bar ever higher by becoming the current Director of the National School of Arts (ENARS).
So it’s foreseeable that with his expertise and international reputation that he will be able to flourish both existentially and financially ways.