Although I have known for some time about Jonathan Land Evans’s recently published book, Bermuda in Painted Representation, it is only in the last few weeks that I have been able to get my hands on it to study it.

As suggested by the title, this book is generally limited to those artists who painted the Bermuda landscape. Even so it is quite a big read. The book alone is two inches thick. Keep in mind also that it is a text-only publication. There are no illustrations, although the author does state his intention of producing an illustrated version.

Although there are no illustrations the book is, nevertheless, a highly valuable resource, especially for historians, curators and those interested in the visual arts generally.

Several years ago, at the time of the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the Bermuda Society of Arts, the Society produced a special exhibition celebrating its history by highlighting art by some of its founding artists, such as Antoine Verpilleux and Donald Kirkpatrick.

In my review of that exhibition, I suggested that it was timely, as we were in danger of forgetting our artistic past. This was fortified in my thinking, as I had previously quizzed some individuals from our art community about some of these earlier artists and sadly most did not know anything about them.

The Evans book therefore helps preserve the memory of Bermuda’s art history. That is an important undertaking.

When I was a schoolboy growing up around Flatts, I frequently visited the Aquarium. Thus it was that I remembered seeing a certain – to me – rather exotic woman, who also frequented the Aquarium. I somehow realised that she was an artist who, as I remember, signed her colourful paintings with the name of Beata.

I wondered if the Evans book would be of any help in identifying this obscure person. Sure enough, with the book’s helpful index, I located the name, “Beata” and then some details, including her real name which was Beatrice Florence Packer. I also learnt that although she had a Bermuda connection, she had been born in India. Regarding her being at the Aquarium: l also learnt that in the early 1950s she was a curator at the museum there.

That is one example of the usefulness of Bermuda in Painted Representation.

I am also aware that although this book has only been available a short while, it has already proven useful for research purposes in our art institutions. This usefulness however, is not limited to the main body of the book but also its very thorough index and footnotes. I foresee it as a resource for further research into additional topics regarding Bermuda’s visual art history.

Truthfully, Bermuda in Painted Representation, is a notable contribution to the cultural history of our island.

For those interested in Bermuda’s art, this is a highly recommended book.

Bermuda in Painted Representation: A Survey of How and By Whom the Island has been Depicted in Art, is available for $30.65 from lulu.com