Murat St. Vil:

Murat Saint-Vil was born in 1955 in Port-au-Prince. At a very early age, he began to draw and take great interest in painting. Murat's father knew the grand master of primitive Haitian art, Prefete Duffaut. Hence, Murat began to study under Duffaut. After a year of apprenticeship, he then furthered his training under two other masters, Fabolon Blaise and Jean Louis Senatus. Walking in the steps of Duffaut, St. Vil first distinguished himself through his strong sense of graphics. But it is the influence of Senatus that led him to find his own unique style, which developed in 1977. He instituted a new technique in his detailing of greenery and its reflection upon water. In shading the blues grays, greens and purples into one another, Murat St. Vil captures and holds our attention with idyllic visions of vivid island beauty. St. Vil is considered among the best of the sophisticated primitive artists.