Damballa Ceremony Original Painting of Haitian Art Vodou Ceremony

The present painting is an early example of a Haitian Vodou ceremony painting, dated 1950. Because of its creation date, the subjects featured are more genuine and truer to the nature of the ceremony than they would be today. The work depicts the sacred communal gathering featuring drumming, singing, dancing, and ritual offerings that invite the lwa (spirits) to commune with the living. The classic elements are featured. A snake, " Damballah," wrapped around a tree's vertical axis symbolizes divine connection, sacred wisdom, and the link between the earthly realm and the spirit world. The snake is the primary symbol of Damballah, the great creator and primordial serpent spirit, and his companion Ayida-Wedo (the rainbow serpent). They represent purity, creation, healing, and life force.
In Haitian Vodou, candles serve as a spiritual beacon and spokesperson (Pòt Pawòl), opening lines of communication between the physical world and the lwa (divine spirits) or ancestors. What is important in this early work is its date and that the painting is a document, almost journalism in paint, of a central event in mid-century Haitian life. Signed and dated lower right.
Gaston Ledain was associated with the early years of the Le Center d'Art in the 1940s and has been collected by Jonathan Demme. Only a handful of the artist's paintings are known to exist; otherwise, little is known about the artist at this time.