Stanley Greaves was presented with a Lifetime Award for his achievement in Guyanese Art. In this regard, a citation of high honour was presented to Greaves in recognition of his distinguished artistic career.
The Citation was read by Dr. Rupert Roopnarine on behalf of the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition.
The Citation
A direct descendant of the momentous awakening of Guyanese art in the 1930s, Greaves has taken the promise of that cultural invigoration to its highest peak through the creation of artwork of exceptional originality, depth of thought, virtuosity of technique and great beauty, over a sustained period of more than half a century.
As a young apprentice artist in the Working People’s Art Class in the 1950s, Greaves absorbed the lessons of the masters like the legendary E.R. Burrowes and went on to forge and refine his own techniques. A conscious maker (a designation he prefers to that of artist), Greaves is a meticulous craftsman whose works are a concentrated synthesis of thought and feeling. More than any Guyanese artist, Greaves is first and foremost a painter of ideas, deliberate and methodical in his procedures, with an uncompromising insistence on the highest level of execution. He calls his works “visual arguments”, these intellectual investigations that are rooted in the soil of form and technique and spring from it, an ongoing exploration of ideas and techniques across a wide range of media and materials: pen and ink drawings, print making, paintings, ceramics, carvings, welded sculptures, mixed media constructions. The ideas and concepts to be explored determine to a significant degree the materials and techniques required to give them form. These explorations combine discovery within the process of working and conscious intellectualisation.
To stand before Greaves’ art is to be in the presence of a mind revealing, questioning and realising itself. In the process, the world – its outward forms and its hidden dynamics – is brought inward, re-invented, and externalised. Each work with its strategic colour combinations, resonant tonal and textural harmonies and elegant formal arrangements, is another step in a long artistic odyssey. Astonishingly, after more than half a century of artistic production, Greaves continues his restless search for new ways to give form to new explorations in thought and feeling.
A dedicated teacher in schools, colleges and universities over the years, Greaves has been generous in the sharing of his gifts, training and uplifting generations of students who have been enlightened and stimulated by his example and awed by his steadfast devotion to the creative life. At the heart of his own practice is a profound and unshakeable faith in the power of the imagination to transform the self and the world.
For such reasons, the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition feel deeply privileged to recognize the originality, depth, creativity, genius, industry and humanity of Stanley Joseph Greaves and take great pride in making this special citation in his honour.
Stanley’s response
After receiving the Citation from the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Greaves responded by expressing appreciation to a number of people who have influenced his life and art work.
Greaves dedicated the Award to his parents John and Priscilla Greaves, his brother Ivan; mentors – Edward Burrows and Basil Hinds who thought him the practice of selfless service to art; Sister Mary Joseph (HM of Sacred Heart School) and other members of staff; Father John Smith of the Saint Stanislaus Association for granting him a scholarship to attend the College; and his former wife Barbara Clyde and children Andre, Sonya, Fiona and Natasha for the meaning they gave to his life.
He also expressed appreciation to Bobby Fernandez, Aubrey Williams and Neil Persaud for their long-lasting friendships, and his numerous friends and enemies.
While delivering his remarks, he called on fellow artists to form themselves into an association, and while doing so not to lose their individuality. He emphasised that this will ensure their collective voices are heard and their continuous presence is taken more seriously.
Greaves also highlighted the need for visual education throughout the education system (primary to tertiary); this he pointed out will address the concerns of artists in Guyana.
“I stress an inclusive visual education through art which can affect many studies both theoretical and practical, and this will certainly create a discerning, appreciative and supportive public for the creations that have a meaningful role to play in the life of any nation and most importantly ours – Dear land of Guyana,” he stated