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LeRoi Clarke was born in Gonzales,
Belmont, Port-of-Spain, on November 7, 1938. As a young man he was actively
involved in the local theatre and utilised his artistic talents to draw,
paint, sing and act. And so it was that this early period of his life
culminated in the holding of his first one-man exhibition, entitled, "A
labour of love," in Trinidad in 1966. He participated in the biennial
exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1966 and expo '67 in Montreal, Canada.
Fuelled by the philosophy of the Black Power Movement, Clarke sought to
provide validity and integrity to the strong cultural, political and social
associations between Trinidad and Tobago and Africa through his powerful
images.
Clarke has painted professionally since 1969. He was the first artist-in-residence
at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 1969 through 1975, and has had numerous
exhibitions throughout North and South America.
In 1962 LeRoy held his first exhibition, sold his first painting for TT$15.00
and exhibited at the national Independence Exhibition. Being described
as "one of the most promising young artists", for several years
he worked as a teacher in nearby John John - "part of the rural initiation".
But it was after his first solo exhibition in 1965 that a definite direction
began to emerge.
In 1967 he left Trinidad for New York. He set to work, painting on crocus
bags on the floor of his apartment. His work was well received at a 1968
exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem. He was part of the 100 Years
of American Art exhibition in Philadelphia, and embarked on a series of
one man shows.
In 1971 the Studio Museum offered him a job as programme co-ordinator/
artist-in-residence, and he stayed there until 1974.
By this time, The Poet was beginning to take shape. At the Studio, he
worked on Fragments of a Spiritual:the first movement, excited
by his vision of "a people fallen from grace", by Frantz Fanon's
"wretched of the earth". By 1973 Fragments had
given birth to the second movement, Douens, and LeRoy left the
Studio Museum to come home.
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