Sugarcane (2004) – Frito Bastien – Original Oil on Canvas – 40x28 in
 
About the Artwork "Sugarcane" is a vibrant, large-scale masterpiece that captures the rhythmic soul of Haitian agricultural life. The composition depicts workers in collective motion, harvesting rows of sugarcane against a backdrop of purple-flowered hills and lush greenery. A small farmhouse and banana trees ground the scene, transforming labor into a sacred tradition of community and sustenance. Bastien’s signature palette—bursting with pinks, purples, and deep greens—evokes the warmth and spirit of the countryside, making this pastoral tableau a testament to the land that sustains us.
 
About the Artist Frito Bastien (b. 1954) is a world-class Haitian master artist whose work is deeply rooted in the Haitian Naïve tradition. 1 A Pew Fellow and a veteran of the Philadelphia Mural Arts program, Bastien’s paintings serve as a visual archive of memory and resistance. His ability to find "heroism in the everyday" has made his work a standout in contemporary Caribbean narrative painting and a vital part of the Philadelphia arts landscape since 1991.