The year 2009 has been a memorable one for artist Graham Foster. In March of this year, he won the $10,000 Charman prize and then this summer, he finally completed his large mural on the 400-year history of Bermuda. This is in the Pillared Hall in the Commissioner's House at the Bermuda Maritime Museum. The mural took at least three and a half years to accomplish, which is no mean undertaking. However, I think all will agree that this is Foster's masterpiece.

As a practising studio artist, I possibly see the Foster mural somewhat differently from the average visitor and as such, I recently went to see it again and while there, I asked myself what my response would have been, had I been offered the commission. Frankly, I would have been overwhelmed. I would hardly have known where to begin. Foster probably had similar reservations, but I know that from the time the mural was first suggested, until the offer eventually came through, some time had passed, giving him opportunity to think about it and also to make preliminary plans. Even then, without the experience of having undertaken such a task, he apparently was quite wide of the mark, when it came to estimating the time involved for completing it. In the end, the timing was spot-on, for the mural was finished during this very year, when we are celebrating the quartro-centenial birthday of our island's founding.

The Pillared Hall is a stair-well. It therefore is not your usual rectangular space and this had to be a consideration when planning the design. I understand, however, that when first considering this commission, Foster began the task by making a scale model of the room. The fact that there are four sides to the room must have been seen as convenient when dealing with a 400-year history, however, because of the way the stairs wind around the space, he eventually found it necessary to forgo any rigid adherence to restricting a particular wall to a specific century. In fact the centuries flow around the room, one century running into another without adherence to such a rigid scheme.

Still, the question confronts us: how should one actually go about making a logical, working composition in such a space? When Michelangelo painted the Sistine ceiling, he, at least had an unrestricted, open ceiling. Foster had to consider the engaged columns that divide the north wall, as well as the stairs on the other three sides that segment those walls. How would he be able to utilise the tall, narrow spaces between the columns in the overall composition, as well as integrate them with rest of the room. How do you make the entire wall readable from, say below or anywhere else in the room?The stairs are a mixed blessing, for they cut into the wall-space on the west, south and east walls, but at the same-time provide a multi-level platform for viewing the mural, so that no one is limited to viewing it from one level or spot.

In painting a mural, it is necessary to respect the walls and the fact that they, being flat, define the shape of the room. Without care, an artist could punch visual holes in the composition and thus lose touch with the boundaries of the space. Foster has got around that problem with his own, unique use of perspective, which is a mix of zig-zag and serpentine paths that lead the viewer back and forth repeatedly, from hinter-ground to surface of the wall, but also upward and downward, throughout the whole of the composition.

As to the actual subject: Certainly Foster covers the main events of Bermuda's history, for example, the wreck of the Sea Venture, the settlement of Bermuda, the introduction of slavery, the establishment of parliament, the so on, but inter-woven between all that, he has painted little details of our flora and fauna, as well as some of our customs, such as Gombeys and kite flying. This is not a composition that is apprehended with one viewing. I have spent quite some time visiting and revisiting this mural. Every time I do, I find new aspects to consider, new visual treasures to scrutinise.

Foster's mural is a landmark in the history of Bermudian art and I can think of no artist better suited for this task. The fact he has been able to achieve this masterpiece says much about recent developments in the visual arts in Bermuda. I have said and still consider that with enlightened patronage, we have artists here who are capable of taking on works of such magnitude. It is regrettable that there are so few who recognise that potential and what a waste to deny these artists that opportunity. The persons who have underwritten the mural are to be commended for this wonderful gift to Bermuda. I do not know who they are, but it is a tribute to their vision – thank you.

Some time ago, when talking with Graham Foster, he said, regarding the mural, "never again". My response to him then, was that, given time away from it, I thought he would jump at another such opportunity. More recently, he has been speaking about just that. Is there another, similar commission out there somewhere? Think about what the lobby at Hamilton City Hall might be like with a mural of the history of Hamilton, as an example. That is just a thought, but such projects always begin with thoughts. Thoughts have a way of becoming reality. Could we be on the verge of a new Bermudian renaissance? Is there a modern Medici out there that would again underwrite such a project? I like to think there is.

With the exception of the Foster mural and the current exhibition at the Masterworks Museum, the Celebration of Bermuda's 400th anniversary has, so far been something of a fizzle. The Foster mural is probably the one public statement regarding this celebration, that is of a permanent nature. There is another scheduled event that I am looking forward to seeing, however, the survey of Bermudian art from our 400 year history, that is being co-sponsored by the Bermuda National Gallery and the Bermuda National Trust. That exhibition will open at the Bermuda National Gallery later next month.