Eyes Between Worlds: Entering the Cosmic Realms of Frantz Zéphirin

Step into a world where forest spirits, mermaids, and ancient souls dance on the edge of dreams. Haitian painter Frantz Zéphirin is known for canvases teeming with fantastical life that represent scenes both “magnetic and inspired”. Zéphirin, a self-taught visionary and a Vodou priest, infuses his work with mythic imagination that bridges earthly and spiritual realms. Before you ever lay eyes on one of his paintings, we invite you to imagine it: let these words be your guide into Zéphirin’s cosmic realm. Close your eyes and picture the scene as we describe it – a vibrant tapestry of life, spirit, and shadow unfolding before you.

The Spiral of Life, Spirit, and Shadow At the top of the painting, a lush green arch unfolds like a doorway to Eden. Broad leaves and vines intertwine overhead, forming a vibrant emerald halo against the sky. Beneath this natural arch, creatures of the forest peek out: a zebra with its bold stripes stands in stark contrast to the foliage, a gentle deer with slender legs appears mid-step, and colorful birds perch and flutter as if a song is about to burst forth. Among them lurks a curious red, dog-like figure – its posture playful, tail raised as if sensing some unseen magic in the air. The atmosphere here feels alive and harmonious; you can almost hear the rustle of leaves and a distant birdsong. Above and below this Eden-like canopy floats a band of mysterious faces – dozens of them, painted in otherworldly blues and purples. These mask-like faces are embedded in a celestial river of souls that wraps around the arch. Their eyes are wide and unblinking, gazing outward from the canvas. They might be spirits watching over the living creatures, or ancestors peering through the veil of time. This upper realm exudes a serene yet surreal energy: the warm sunlight through the greenery mixes with an ethereal glow from the blue-purple spirit faces, as if heaven and earth are gently touching.

Just below the arch of life, the central region of the painting bursts into a swirling vortex of color and motion. Here two enormous crowned heads dominate the scene, floating side by side. Each regal face wears an ornate crown, encrusted with painted jewels, and each forehead bears a single third eye – a glowing eye wide open, symbolizing vision beyond mortal sight. The expressions on the faces are calm and knowing, yet powerful; they seem to be guardian deities or cosmic kings surveying a mystic universe. Around and between these heads, spirals of orange, red, and molten gold whip across the canvas in a lively dance. The colors twist and curl like flames, but within these fiery swirls there is another element: water. Look closely – the orange and red eddies are also waves, and within them swim mermaids and fish. A lithe mermaid with flowing hair arches her turquoise tail amid the golden currents, and schools of fish — painted in bright blues and pinks — weave in and out of the spirals. This blending of fire and water creates a sense of both heat and fluidity, as if you are witnessing both an undersea eruption and a solar storm. The vortex brims with movement: mermaids gliding, fish twirling, and abstract spiral forms that pull your eye in every direction. If you listen with your mind’s ear, you might imagine the crackling of flames and the whoosh of water all at once. The crowned heads at the center remain steady in this whirlwind, their third eyes shining like beacons. This is the realm of spirit, where opposites unite – fire with water, day with night, life with afterlife – in a cosmic dance. It feels mystical and awe-inspiring, as if the painting’s middle section is the very heart of the universe, a place where souls and elements converge in endless swirl.

Finally, your gaze travels to the bottom third of the canvas, and the mood shifts into deep, shadowy blues and purples. We have descended under the waves and into the underworld. This lower realm is a vast oceanic twilight, depicted with murky depths and drifting shadows. Here, the remnants of life appear as pale, ghostly shapes: a multitude of fish skeletons floats across a dark sea-green background, their bones delicate and white, like leaves bleached by the sun. You can almost sense the silence of deep water, punctuated only by a faint, echoing rattle – perhaps the sound of bones gently clinking or a distant sigh in the depths. Rising from the ocean floor are crooked gravestones, crusted with moss or coral. Some are tilted, half-sunk in the sand, and thin spiderwebs stretch between them, glistening in an unseen light. Beside the graves lie open coffins, their lids ajar. From one coffin, a skeleton in a tattered suit climbs out as if awakened, and in another, only bony hands are visible, reaching upward. Despite the macabre imagery, there is an uncanny liveliness here: a cluster of skeletons is dancing in celebration or perhaps in ritual. Their ivory ribcages and grinning skulls sway in rhythm – you might imagine the faint sound of distant drums or a bone xylophone playing a haunting melody. One skeletal figure at the forefront commands attention: this figure stands tall (or perhaps hovers just above the ground) and appears to hold two smaller skeletons by strings, one in each hand. Like a puppet master of the dead, it dangles the bony marionettes who dance below, controlling them in a grisly, playful performance. This could be a spirit lord of the underworld – a Baron of the cemetery – orchestrating the fate of souls. The entire scene is lit in an eerie glow, with hints of midnight green and indigo washing over the characters, as though illuminated by moonlight filtering through water. The feeling here is eerie but not purely terrifying; it’s as if death itself is part of the dance of existence. The skeletons grin and jig in merriment, suggesting that even in the shadow realm there is energy and continuation. You might feel a chill imagining the cold water and the touch of spiderwebs, yet also a strange comfort – these spirits are not alone, they have each other in this underwater world of shadows.

Taken together, the painting is a grand spiral of life, spirit, and shadow. Each layer – the vibrant life above, the swirling spirit middle, and the shadowy underworld below – flows into the next. Your eye might trace a path from the green arch down through the whirl of fire and water, and into the depths, then back up again, round and round in a cosmic cycle. The myriad of eyes (from animals, from the third-eyed deities, from the mask-like souls) connect all parts of the canvas, watching and guiding. The living creatures, the divine guardians, and the dead are all intertwined here. The emotional tone shifts from joyous and lush at the top, to ecstatic and chaotic at the center, to mysterious and contemplative at the bottom. Yet the painting as a whole feels unified – a surreal tapestry where creation, transformation, and resurrection all coexist. It’s as if Zéphirin has painted a vision of the entire cosmos: a journey from earthly life through spiritual awakening into death and back again, all under the watchful gaze of countless eyes. The longer you imagine it, the more details emerge – it is overwhelming in its richness, but also profoundly captivating. This is the imaginative universe of Frantz Zéphirin: part fable, part dream, and wholly unforgettable.

Share Your Vision: Now, take a moment to reflect on the picture forming in your mind. How do you envision the colors and creatures of this scene?

• Which details stood out to you the most – was it the gentle animals beneath the green arch, the swirling fire-and-water dance around the crowned heads, or the eerie celebration of skeletons below?

• Can you hear anything in this imagined world – perhaps the whisper of wind in the trees, the crackle and splash of the vortex, or the faint music of dancing bones?

• How does this painted journey through life, spirit, and shadow make you feel? Does one realm (bright life, fiery spirit, or dark shadow) draw you in more strongly than the others?

• What story do you sense connecting all these elements together? In your own vision, what might the animals, mermaids, and skeletons be saying to each other across the layers of the canvas?
  

There are no right or wrong answers – your imagination completes the artwork. Zéphirin’s painting is meant to ignite personal visions, so let your mind explore freely. Every viewer might picture something slightly different, and that is part of the magic.

👉 Click here to see “La vie et la mort / Life and Death” by Frantz Zéphirin

Seeing the actual painting will enrich the experience even further – but even without your eyes, you have traveled through its cosmic realms with us. This vivid synthesis of nature, myth, and spirituality is a hallmark of Haitian art. As Haiti Collection Privée notes, Haitian art springs from “Haiti’s rich cultural heritage and the vibrant creativity of its people, making [their] gallery a premier destination for collectors and enthusiasts of Haitian and Caribbean art”haiticollectionprivee.net. We encourage you to explore more works by Frantz Zéphirin and other Haitian artists through Haiti Collection Privée. Each painting in our collection opens a doorway to new worlds of imagination and cultural symbolism. From lush tropical dreams to mystical underworld scenes, Haitian art offers a journey unlike any other – one that celebrates the resilience, spirit, and creativity of Haiti’s people. Thank you for journeying with us into “Eyes Between Worlds.” May it inspire you to discover more of the beauty and mystery that Haitian artists have created, and perhaps to see the world around you with new, more enchanted eyes.