Richmond Outerbridge exhibition, Bermuda Society of Arts, City Hall, Hamilton.

In viewing the paintings of Richmond (Chubby) Outerbridge, most will recognise that he was a skilled artist, but several paintings shown at the Bermuda Society of Arts go well beyond that observation and indeed, are deeply enchanting.

Yet, today, some 16 years after his death, Chubby is largely forgotten. The BSoA exhibition of his paintings will hopefully resurrect his reputation and place in the history of Bermudian art.

For BSoA, this was an unusual show, in that none of the Outerbridge paintings are for sale. All are on loan from private collections.

Richmond Higinbothom Outerbridge was born in St George’s on January 18, 1919 and died in Fiji in 1997. To his friends and family, he was always known as “Chubby”.

Even as a child while attending the St George’s Grammar school, he demonstrated an immense artistic talent, receiving a gold award, as well as other honours from the Royal Drawing Society. It seems he always knew that in later life he would be an artist and in preparation for that career, his tertiary art school education was undertaken at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the oldest such school in the United States. Note the self portrait that was possibly painted while a student in Philadelphia.

Many of Outerbridge’s paintings are in watercolour, nevertheless, he was also a proficient oil painter.

Although Outerbridge spent many years in such exotic locations as India and Fiji, he also is known for his Bermuda paintings, many being of east-end subject matter.

Several in the current BSoA show stand out, the most obvious being ‘Royal Poinciana’. I put it that way, for this painting is the first to be seen upon entering the gallery. I am certain this watercolour was placed in that location because the exhibition curator also realised just how magical it is.

Another similarly enchanting work is ‘Church Lane’. This painting depicts the street that run east-west behind St Peter’s and, like ‘Royal Poinciana’, it utilises a similar kind of bewitching light.

Of great historical as well as artistic interest is Outerbridge’s depiction of the south side of St David’s before the airport was built. Note the Easter lily field in the foreground. The moonlight scene at Dunsford is another notable work that should not be missed.

Although many of Outerbridge’s Bermuda paintings are of specific and identifiable locations, it seems that he was not above inventing a scene and one such probability is ‘Storm Watch’. This oil painting depicts a coastline with storm-tossed waves.

Of the artist’s Asiatic paintings, the one that is most engaging in this exhibition is the ‘View of the Himalayas from India’. This is a prime example of Outerbridge as an oil painter. Other Indian paintings, such as his ‘Ladies with Sugar Apples’ or ‘Women Bathing’ bring to mind the Tahitian paintings of Paul Gauguin.

I never knew Richmond Outerbridge, although I do remember him displaying his work in St George’s in what is now Somers Market. I understand that this was then a family-owned grocery and probably his family made room for the display. I am certain this was an attempt to sell, as I understand that he was not above the commercial side of the art business. This was probably the early 1950s or even the latter part of the 1940s.

In connection with his exhibiting in the Outerbridge family grocery, there was also a large oil painting of a black horse that had been owned by the family. The horse, currently in the BSoA show, was named ‘Old Blue’. It has been pointed out to me that this painting is one of a number of horse paintings. He was also known for his dog paintings; he seemed to have been fond of animals.

Outerbridge had a younger brother named Donald who also became an artist and was especially known in the Boston area as a photographer and art historian. His elementary schooling, like his brother’s, was at the St George’s Grammer school. He then studied at Phillips Academy near Boston and was a 1948 Harvard graduate in art. Like Chubby, he is now largely forgotten in his homeland, even though his works are in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The MFA is one of the great art museums of America.

For those of you who have not been able to visit the exhibition, your final chance is today.