The Jorge Bowen-Forbes collection…
Start on Page 8//turn to 13 if necessary: Photos saved in ‘Jorge Bowen Forbes’ folder in Graphics (Use DSC-0215 or 0231 and 0219 for Page One) ACCORDING to French-born American scholar, Jacques Barzun, art distills sensation and embodies it with enhanced meaning in memorable form — a concept with which many in the art field would concur.

With words, the expressions bare the soul of the writer; no different from an artist whose paintbrush solidifies the weight of his (or her) thoughts and experiences.

Such was the case two Fridays ago at the National Art Gallery, Castellani House, when, for the first time ever, 30 vivid pieces of artwork by Jorge Bowen-Forbes were put on display.

The term ‘vivid’ seems not to do justice to the artist’s work, but in other words, his creations seemed to pull one from the edge of unconsciousness and provoke one to thought.

The exhibition, titled ‘Remembering Guiana and other Paintings’, captured national life as the primary theme, with a showcase of landscapes and other paintings.

The display of artwork, Bowen-Forbes’ first at the National Art Gallery, is one of many activities organized across the country to celebrate Guyana’s 44th Independence anniversary.

The paintings clearly indicate the impact that life in Guyana had on the artist, who said his return to his homeland after years in the United States is permanent. Patrons of Castellani House were privileged to the realization of that impact.

Most of his paintings are large.  Bowen-Forbes said because he was once involved with making greeting cards measuring five by seven inches, he got tired of working small, hence the size of his paintings.

One of his more outstanding pieces is ‘Days of the Black Sun’. When asked about it, the artist explained that the representations in this particular painting are reflective of his reasons for leaving Guyana when he did.             “The political scene at that time was why I left…That painting says what I felt,” Bowen-Forbes said.

Interesting, too, are the symbolisms in the artist’s works, and the double entendre they carry.

One piece in particular, ‘La Comienza’, which, according to Bowen-Forbes, translates ‘For The First Time’, draws an interesting parallel between fruits and the human sexuality.

By way of an explanation, he said: “As an artist, I sometimes get naughty; the fruits give reference to Adam and Eve, and the snake on the man’s shoulder refers to the same thing. Those in the background are supposed to be witnesses to this first-time happening.”

Bowen-Forbes’ versatility and ability to cross cultural barriers was also interesting to note.

In one of his pieces, titled ‘Ganesh’, he depicts what is his interpretation of a Hindu deity.

Noting his obviously mixed heritage, Bowen-Forbes said that many of his relatives are East Indian, hence the influence on his work.

“I grew up knowing about Ganesh; I felt that in bringing back paintings to Guyana, I must represent everyone, which is why the Ganesh had to be there,” the artist said.

Bowen-Forbes’ works are not only deep, but also carry a hefty price tag. His works at the National Art Gallery range between $402,000 to as much as $20M.

More to the point, the most expensive piece costs $20,015,000 and is the largest in the collection, measuring almost the size of a wall in an average room. That piece is titled ‘Landscape at Sophia’.

“The Sophia piece is my favourite; it [the scenery in question] is no longer there. That is where, as a little boy, we would swim, feed on fruit trees. Now, it has given way to redevelopment. The Sophia painting was done a long time ago; I decided to capture scenes like this one-at-a-time when other artists refused to, because abstract art was popular at the time,” Bowen-Forbes said.

Asked to describe his work, he said: “Except for the realistic scenes, the majority of my work is experimental.” The transition from the realistic to the symbolic comes easy, he said, since being wholly self-taught, he is not confined or set in a particular mode like most present- day artists are.

“Not being formally taught, I learnt all the techniques, especially experimenting. An artist grows quicker and stronger through experimentation,” he posited, adding that his works are also innovative, owing to his recognition of the fact that innovation was the only way to compete in today’s art world.

Noting that assimilation was equally as important as innovation, Bowen-Forbes said the ‘Remembering Guiana…’ collection draws also from his time spent abroad.          

“Assimilation helps you grow; it is not only a Guyanese painting. Introducing other elements enables the painting to appeal to everyone, not only Guyanese,” he said.

Other titles in the collection include: ‘Moongazer’, ‘Stabroek Market’, ‘Middle Road, Sophia’, ‘Boys Crabbing, Kitty’, ‘Village Koker’, ‘Lotus Lilies’, ‘Fruit Vendors, Stabroek’, ‘St. George’s Cathedral’, ‘Jungle Moon’, Planting Rice, Sophia’, ‘Still Life with Flowers’ and ‘Mother Sally and the Cow’.

The artist’s most representative works are all oil and acrylic.

A “mentor and major inspiration to his career,” he noted, was the late former President Janet Jagan, who was passionate about

Noting that he hopes to engender inspiration, through his work, to budding artists, Bowen-Forbes said:

“When I left Guyana, I made sure Guyana did not leave me. I painted the folklore themes, for example, to keep me interested in coming back to Guyana.” His watercolours, he said, are experimental, and were mostly shown in the United States.

As to how soon they can be expected to go public here, Bowen-Forbes said: “The watercolours will come later on… I have brought back at least 600 paintings, and they include many prize-winning watercolours.”

A member of the American Watercolour Society (AWS), and the National Watercolour Society (of the United States), the artist has had independent shows in Mexico, Barbados, Australia and Britain.

He made his unexpected entry into the world when his mom, who hails from Kitty, was headed to the Georgetown Hospital to give birth to him, but never did make it as she instead gave birth to him in a house along the way.

He spent the first ten years of his life in Kitty, and another six elsewhere, before leaving for the United States, where he has been living for the past 43 years.

According to Bowen-Forbes, he did a lot of reading and studying of pictures of the established old masters such as Raphael, Rembrandt and Da Vinci.

His hard work paid off. He was rewarded with a
n acceptance after three years, winning the ‘Gold Medal of Honour (1978) and two other gold medals.

After these successes, he made the decision to go contemporary. Three years later, he won the ‘Silver Medal of Honour’ (1978) and two more gold medals. Then in 1984, he won the ‘High Winds Award’.

Bowen-Forbes’ only academic training was a primary education at the Comenius Moravian School in Queenstown, here in the city.

The artist is also recognized internationally as a poet, with his most known being a piece titled ‘Forever Will Thee’, which is dedicated to someone who has departed this life.

He noted too that he plans entering the Guyana Prize for Literature; he has five books under his belt, including ‘Kaituma: The Escape from Jonestown’.

His latest literary work is a book about relationships and addiction titled, ‘Addicts’.

Bowen-Forbes contends that there is a destiny for each one of us,  and that he is an inter-racial product: Amerindian, African and

“The melding of all these sometimes has me feeling as though the doings of subconscious predilection – something of an ancestral spirituality – push me headlong into a new artistic associations. It is my strength to listen to them, and to procreate their souls into terms and language of my own time. With this, the people and places I create are forever my own. They can be found solely in my imagination, but will forever be around,” he said.

The exhibition runs until July 31.