Amerindian painting and sculpture: the newest development in Caribbean art

George Simon (right) and the late Neil Whitehead (UG photo)

Amerindian art in Guyana has generated forms in painting and sculpture which are the most unique in the anglophone Caribbean.  They also hold a very interesting place because they may be described as both the most ancient and the newest forms in the region as a whole. These forms are among the most distinctive and fascinating, but the critical accounts are yet to catch up with them.

Closely related to that is the state of Guyanese archaeology.  Amerindian art is the most ancient in the Caribbean because it has its roots in the oldest civilisations in the region.  These pre-Columbian civilisations existed in the Guianas, within the wider region of Amazonia in which there have been advanced archaeological finds.  The research and publications about this pre-history which is older than the Christian era, hold significant implications for both South America and the West Indies.  But the achievements in Guyanese archaeology and anthropology are insufficiently celebrated in the region.

Interestingly, the work of Guyanese Stanley Greaves was selected to grace the cover of Caribbean Art by Veerle Poupeye, the most authoritative text on Caribbean art.  Similarly, Denis Williams of Guyana was recognised and decorated by the UWI as a leader in