Peterson Laurent was born in 1888 in Saint-Marc, Haiti, and passed away there in 1958. Although his artistic career was relatively brief, Laurent became widely recognized for his distinctive and expressive contributions to early Haitian art. He was a member of the Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, an important institution that supported and promoted Haiti’s emerging painters.Laurent explored a wide range of subjects in his work, including rural Haitian life, American battleships, still-life compositions, roosters, fish, floral arrangements, and Vodou themes. His style is instantly recognizable: figures and forms are first outlined with simple, decisive lines and then filled with light, delicate strokes of color. This technique gives his paintings a unique rhythm and spontaneity that distinguishes his work from that of his contemporaries. Proud of his background as a craftsman, Laurent often referred to himself as “Le Forgeron” (The Blacksmith), even signing some of his paintings with this nickname. His contributions to Haitian art continue to be celebrated, and his works are included in the permanent collections of the Musée d’Art Haïtien du Collège Saint-Pierre in Port-au-Prince and the Milwaukee Art Museum. (Biography sources: La Peinture Haïtienne by Marie José Nadal & Gérald Bloncourt and Island on Fire by Jonathan Demme & Edwidge Danticat)