A.K. Prakash, Impressionism in Canada, A Journey of Rediscovery, Stuttgart, 2015, page 621
After travelling throughout Europe, Robert Pilot decided to follow in the steps of other Canadian artists and visit the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados. By the time he arrived in the country, he was already an established and respected artist in Montreal. The early influence of his stepfather Maurice Cullen and his studies with William Brymner were impactful, while further influence was drawn from other Impressionist artists. As A.K. Prakash writes, “[Pilot] was influenced in particular by Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne and J.W. Morrice - artists, who, in his mind, found the right balance between form and atmosphere.”
“Barbados, BWI,” Pilot’s depiction of a Barbadian harbour, is very different in subject matter and mood from his paintings of snowy Quebec, which he usually captured with more muted, cool colours. Here Pilot has completely lightened his palette and his application of paint follows that of Impressionism. He employs a loose broken brushstroke to create the shimmering water of the harbour and builds up the architecture of the colonial buildings with thickly applied pigment, which is all covered by an intense bright blue sky capturing the atmosphere of a sunny Caribbean day.
Robert Wakeham Pilot - Barbados, BWI | Cowley Abbott
