Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(p. 155). Still, a great deal of Bermudian art is of the watercolor variety, with idyllic
landscapes and seascapes sold at various shops around the island.
Bermuda's earliest works of art were portraits painted by itinerant artists for the
local gentry. Most of these were by the English-born Joseph Blackburn, whose brief
visit to Bermuda in the mid-1700s led to requests by local landowners to have their
portraits painted. Many of these portraits can be found today in the
Tucker House
Museum
in St. George's (p. 163). A handful of portraits from the same period were
done by the American-born artist John Green. Also prized are a series of paintings
from the mid-19th century depicting sailing ships; they're signed “Edward James,”
but the artist's real identity remains unknown.
During the 19th century, the traditions of the English landscape painters, particu-
larly the Romantics, came into vogue in Bermuda. Constable, with his lush and
evocative landscapes, became the model for many. Other than a few amateur artists,
however, whose works showed great vitality but little sense of perspective, most of
Bermuda's landscape paintings were executed by British military officers and their
wives. Their body of work includes a blend of true-to-life landscapes with an occa-
sional stylized rendering of the picturesque or Romantic tradition then in vogue in
England. Among the most famous of the uniformed artists was Lt. E. G. Hallewell, a
member of the Royal Engineers, whose illustrations of the island's topography were
used for planning certain naval installations.
Another celebrated landscapist was Thomas Driver, who arrived as a member of
the Royal Engineers in 1814 and remained on the island until 1836. Trained to repro-
duce detailed landscape observations as a means of assisting military and naval
strategists, he later modified his style to become more elegant and evocative. He soon
abandoned the military and became a full-time painter of Bermuda scenes. Because
of Driver's attention to detail, his works are frequently reproduced by scholars and art
historians who hope to recapture the aesthetic and architectural elements of the
island's earliest buildings.
Later in the 19th century, other artists depicted the flora of Bermuda. Lady Lefroy,
whose husband was governor of the island between 1871 and 1877, painted the trees,
shrubs, fish, flowers, and animals of the island in much detail. Later, at scattered
intervals during their careers, such internationally known artists as Winslow Homer,
Andrew Wyeth, George Ault, and French-born Impressionist and cubist Albert Glei-
zes all painted Bermudian scenes.
Among prominent Bermuda-born artists was Alfred Birdsey, who died in 1996. His
watercolors represented some of the most elegiac visual odes to Bermuda ever pro-
duced. Birdsey's paintings, as well as those of other artists mentioned above, are on
display in galleries around the island.
Today, Bermuda has more artists painting and creating than at any point in its his-
tory. Local favorites include Eric Amos, whose illustrations of Bermuda's wild birds
are sought by collectors all over the world; Captain Stephen J. Card, who has devel-
oped an international reputation by specializing in marine art; Vivienne Gardner,
known not just for her paintings but also for her sculpture, stained glass, and mosaics;
and Christine Phillips-Watlington, who has achieved an international reputation for
her botanical paintings.
Protecting artworks from climate damage is a constant problem on the island. As
the administrator of one major art gallery explained, “Bermuda's climate is unques-
tionably the worst in the world for the toll it takes on works of art, with three
elements—humidity, salt, and ultraviolet light—all playing their part.” Some very
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