Bellande, Francois

BELLANDE, FRANCOIS
Dr. Francois L’Amerique Bellande was born in Jacmel in 1966. He began painting in 1987, but has only recently become properly appreciated as a Vodou artist. Like many Haitians, he has been immersed in the knowledge and practice of Vodou since he was a small child. For several years, he has been accepted as having the sufficient knowledge to be an herbal doctor; recently, he has been selected as houngan of the Vodou establishment in Achaie.Bellande loves to paint and says that he wants to show the things he has seen so that others may understand.Bellande’s narrative paintings combine a figuration that is raw and from the gut, with a bold and sophisticated sense of color. Each painting has a story behind it.