Death of a painting era - Boscoe Holder

The Social Painter
Tonight we honour the passing of a huge figure in the local world of art in Trinidad and Tobago. Boscoe Holder died today at the age of eighty seven. He had been painting since childhood, a man of much talent in dance as well as painting. He came from a proud middle class family who valued education and the highest standards of etiquette and other social mores, and he endeavoured to show this sense of pride in his paintings.

Mr. Holder, saw us go from the term negro to Afro Trinbagonian. His works represented the highest good of people of colour. He never stopped painting, and he was able to still find compositional elements and techniques to explore into his eighties. Mr. Holder was known as much for his large personality as for his body of iconic work. He leaves a gap that clearly demarcates the end of an era never to return again. There are many artists working today who owe Mr.Holder for paving the path that they comfortably walk. I was fortunate to know him, and to have sat for him many years ago. At the time I remember him saying that he felt it necessary to help as much as he could the younger artists of the country to find a voice. He was willing to be interviewed, but made it clear that he was also very wary of giving too much of his time, as he liked to put it, painting was his wife and mistress and everything and everyone came a distant third to this fierce love. - adele