Thrift find - Haitian folk art painting by P. Toussaint - most interesting painting I've seen!

At the thrift store today I knew it was going to be a good day when a clothing cart came out & right in front was a Led Zepplin embroidered tour jacket right in front ($7.99 - I grabbed it before the cart stopped rolling!)

But when I saw this painting it stopped me in my tracks - I first thought it was a mardi gras scene, but then I saw the people following the first row of people (the man breaking free of his chains while looking at the dandy or plantation owner is cool) are not in costume?

And now I'm wondering if it's a political statement? Especially because of the military/government guy - he has a 2 colored face; maybe the leader at the time was considered two faced or lied about something?

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it!

Any thoughts would be appreciated - I respect (am usually in awe of) the opinions that come from this forum & am hoping someone can tell me if it's just a nice folk art painting or something else.

Thanks!

 

That's a nice painting!

But.......aren't you gonna show us the Led Zep
Jacket???? pretty please????

 

Here it is - by Bravada
It's embroidered but ones I've found so far are leather or "pleather" (plastic leather) so I don't know if it's a knock off (for $7.99 I'll keep it for myself if a copy!)

 

I love it! Very cool

 

The people in the painting could be voodoo characters. Thinking that because the guy in the top hat night be Baron Samedi.

 

I'll look him up - I thought voodoo also but I guess I got stuck on the military man being two faced.
Thank you moreotherstuff!

 

With the variety of masks and characters, I would guess the subject of the painting is carnival/mardi gras.

Here is another painting by P. Toussaint, currently on ebay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203171673532

 

Saw that & a few others - but none like mine.
Is mardi gras just in New Orleans or in Haiti too(their language Creole is from French language so maybe they celebrate it too?
Or voodoo as you say - or something like Mexico's day of the dead festival (the red bull(?) with the tongue sticking out & the skeleton behind the military guy reminded me of that one)

 

Yes, Mardi Gras, also called carnival/carnivale, is celebrated in Haiti, with a tradition of elaborate costumes and masks.

 

St. Pierre Toussaint) – St. Pierre was born in 1923 and died in 1985. For most of his life he was a farmer and began painting only in 1972,

 

I have quite a few Haitian paintings, they are full of colour .