Soldier (1997) – Frito Bastien – Original Oil on Canvas – 20x24 in
 
 
About the Artwork: "Soldier" is a poignant meditation on survival and vigilance. Painted in 1997, it depicts a lone figure navigating a dense, tropical forest of olive and ochre. While the scene captures the heat and weight of the tropics, it serves as a powerful metaphor for the emotional terrain of exile. Bastien’s naïve style masks a deeper narrative of political resistance and the internal struggle for protection in an uncertain world.
 
About the Artist: Frito Bastien (b. 1954) is a celebrated Haitian master whose work preserves the cultural legacy of his homeland. 1 A student of Célestin Faustin, Bastien’s art often blends joyful nostalgia with "coded critiques" of political violence. Since arriving in Philadelphia as a political exile in 1991, he has become a pillar of the local arts community, earning a Pew Fellowship and creating numerous landmark murals with Mural Arts Philadelphia