Winston Dookeran on late artist: That was a man!

Even in death he painted the perfect picture of solace and peace, a reflection of the 72 years of life of renowned artist Dr James Isaiah Boodhoo. Dr Boodhoo, who is internationally acclaimed as a premier artist and  has his paintings displayed in prominent places in London, Washington, Oslo, Santiago and several other cities, passed away on Friday and was buried yesterday following a funeral service at the Curepe Presbyterian Church which included fellow artists such as Ken Crichlow and  Leroi Clark, and other prominent citizens. Winston Dookeran, a former governor of the Central Bank and now Member of Parliament for St Augustine, delivered the eulogy while Rev Daniel Teelucksingh officiated.

Dookeran, who in his eulogy  recalled some of the  achievements  of Boodhoo and his concern for the welfare of others said: “There is no doubt that the elements were so mixed in him, his humility, his brilliance, his devotion to his family, his kindness and concern for others, that nature can stand up and say to the whole world that ‘this was a man.’ ” Born on January 4, 1932, in the village of Guaico, Boodhoo started out his educational achievements as a Pupil teacher, graduated as a trained teacher and later conferred with a doctorate degree in Art  Education from Indiana University, USA.

Crichlow, a fellow artist and head of the Creative Arts Centre at the University of the West Indies, described Boodhoo as “the finest artist that Trinidad has produced with the cleverest mind, sharpest eye and lightest hand.” In describing his own perspective, Dookeran recalled  Boodhoo once saying: “ Painting for me is a compulsive activity...All the years spent in the university art department ... have had to find expression . My many decades of experiencing the world - the variety of visual experiences from the landscape, from literature, from the art works of other people, have provided this stimuli and ideas.” A deep thinker, Boodhoo was among other things a man of wisdom, said Dookeran. To Boodhoo’s wife Halima, he was a devoted and patient husband, overseeing the education of four of his nieces. He expressed his feelings by the dedication in his book, “Between Two Seasons” to his wife and nieces Farinah, Farhanah, Farah and Sabina.