Art

Painting through the pandemic

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahamian artist Leo Brown continues to capture current events through his artwork, sharing his latest abstract painting about the COVID-19 pandemic.

His painting, titled “Living In The Age of COVID-19”, is divided into three parts, depicting different timelines of the pandemic.

Mr Brown - who operates an art studio at the Port Lucaya Marketplace - has created many superb canvas paintings that seem to capture the attention and imagination of both visitors and locals.

As The Bahamas experiences another surge of COVID infections, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced measures to boost the nation’s ability to bear the latest surge in cases. There were 130 cases of COVID confirmed on Tuesday while 100 people remain hospitalised, including 10 in the Intensive Care Unit.

Mr Brown said he decided to paint on this subject because he believes “it is a story that must be told”. “It’s a plague of biblical proportions,” he stated.

The 24x36 painting took him two months to complete.

“Most artists paint what they see, but I paint what I see combined with what I imagine. My style is a combination of Realism, Surrealism, Impressionism, and Abstract,” said Brown.

According to Brown, the lower section of the painting depicts 2019, (Doctors in Scrubs). He explained that doctors and other healthcare workers were witnessing the limited availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), particularly appropriate masks, as COVID-19 spread across the globe, and being confronted by the difficult situation that puts their desire to remain safe against their duty to help patients.

He said the middle section shows the period in 2020 when New York City became the epicenter for COVID-19.

The highest section of the painting is a depiction of Our World 2021, he said. Mr Brown indicates that the pandemic has taken a significant toll on people all across the world.

“Many countries have declared restrictive measures, such as lockdowns, shelter in place, or stay at home orders, to contain the pandemic at a local level. However, the widely differing responses and response timeline have left people wondering if authorities failed to take the situation seriously early on when they could have done more to slow down the spread of the coronavirus,” he explained.

He indicated the light in the painting is not the sun or the moon, but is symbolic of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

“All things were made by the son of God, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of man, and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not,” he said.

“I believe that God is talking to the world (all mankind) only He alone can save us, we need to stand still and know that He alone is God,” Mr Brown said.