Alexander Cooper's '50 Years - Then & Now!'

Robyn Miller, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Fifty years of Independence is as much a time for reflection as it is for celebration. It is a reflection that Alexander Cooper insists is necessary to determine who we are as a people, a journey the master painter has traced in as many years at the easel through a kaleidoscope of colours.

Culminating with his '50 Years - Then and Now!' exhibition, the wily artist, on Thursday evening, August 16, unveiled to the public 33 of his most recent renditions in a vivid depiction of 18th, 19th and 20th century Jamaica.

In an earlier one-on-one with Arts & Education Cooper told how "excited" he was about the staging, having worked relentlessly on the research as well as putting in hours of studio time.

He was even more delighted with the turnout, which saw Oxford Road's Mutual Gallery and Art Centre transformed into a teeming nerve centre of art aficionados and followers of the creative genius.

With the likes of fine artist Dr David Boxer, potter Phillip Supersad, painter Stafford Schliefer, ceramist Norma Hart and many others including three generations of Watson painters on hand; Basil and his son Kai, led by the legendary Barrington Watson, the event read like a who's who of Jamaican art.

The youngest of the Watson clan, Kai, spoke in reverent tones of Cooper's work.

"I've always been a fan (of Cooper)," he said. "My dad told me stories." He went on: "The ones who came before you have to study them," for such is their calibre.

Guest speaker and curator at the National Gallery, Dr Boxer, called Cooper's collection "timely" as it "brings to life many aspects of our cultural and political history".

Juxtaposing the eras in his paintings to those changes witnessed by Jamaicans, Cooper noted that there was a growing appreciation for art by Jamaicans.

"When I started in the early '60s, Jamaicans couldn't buy paintings. They're more aware today, and they are the ones who are supporting local paintings," he said.

Cooper, who learnt the rudiments of painting at the School of Art before fine-tuning his skills in the United States, enmeshes Jamaica's rich history and the changing face of the people's way of life with colour, even humour as exemplified in 'St Andrew Scotch Kirk', one of several standouts at the exhibition.

Supported by sponsors National Commercial Bank, Super Plus Food Stores, Carreras Group of Companies, Ideal Portfolio Services Company, RBC Royal Bank, JN General Insurance, Island Mist Spring Water, British Caribbean Insurance Company, Wray and Nephew and Kool 97 FM, the exhibition will be opened to the public until September 7.

For further information on the exhibition, call Gilou Bauer or Keisha Campbell at the Mutual Gallery at 929-4302.