Woman Leading a Blind Man

Penius Leriche, artist

born 1940

Woman Leading a Blind Man, circa 1970

Where object was made: Haiti

Material/technique: hardboard; paint

Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 122 x 60 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 48 1/16 x 23 5/8 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 49 1/2 x 25 1/2 x 0 3/4 in

Credit line: Mary Lou Vansant Hughes Collection

Accession number: 2011.0301

On display: Kress Gallery

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Illumination

Penius Leriche’s painting highlights everyday life in Haiti, acts of kindness, and the role women play in society. This painting is perhaps also a commentary on vision—the two figures are enveloped by a vibrant landscape full of vivid flora, yet the man is blind and the woman is focused on crossing a stream.

Illumination

The Ties that Bind: Haiti, the United States, and the Art of Ulrick Jean-Pierre in Comparative Perspective

Compared to the fierce leadership demonstrated by historical figures such as Anacaona and Marie-Jeanne Lamartinierre, whose portraits appear to your left and right respectively, the woman in Leriche’s painting exudes a sense of calm control as she gently leads an old, blind man through a colorful landscape. Such casual depictions of female leadership establish the role women play not
only in major historical narratives but also in the day-to-day reality of Haiti.