Paradise (re)Visited

Paradise Revisited presented an extensive selection of 19th century prints from the collection of Hugh and Pam Hart, affording visitors to the exhibition an opportunity to experience first-hand some of the best known early pictorial representations of the Jamaican landscape. The scenic vistas and depictions of architectural landmarks contained within this remarkable body of work collectively conveyed the rich tapestry of visiting artists’ attempts at capturing the landscape and society at that time. With subjects ranging from idealised landscapes, to plantation houses, merchant ships, and scenes of daily life, viewers gleaned a unique insight into the early colonial history of our neighbours. This vision of ‘Paradise’ was subsequently reproduced throughout Europe, prefiguring the later trend for romantic landscapes in the 19th century, and provided the earliest popular understanding of the Caribbean region in the West. The exhibition featured 40 prints by the renowned artist Joseph Bartholomew Kidd and included supporting work by Louis Belanger, George Robertson, James Hakewill and Adolphe Duperly.