Arthur Beaumont (1890-1978) Born: Norwich, England. In the 1930s, he became a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve and began producing the first of many watercolors depicting battle ships and other naval subjects.
During World War II, he was a war artist, documenting naval battles. A series of these works were published in National Geographic magazine. After the war he continued producing watercolors of naval activities in China, Japan, Guam, Vietnam and the Antarctic. Although he painted depictions of landscape and figurative subjects and worked as a commissioned portrait artist, Beaumont is best known for his watercolors of ships and harbor scenes.
As the official artist for Operation Crossroads – a series of nuclear tests that took place in the Marshall Islands – Beaumont was there to provide a keen account. In Bikini Atoll Atomic Test, his usual plein air style feels markedly different. The naval vessel and its crew are not the canvas’s focal point. The explosion is detailed and dramatic, relative to its eerily still surroundings. It is factual. And there is no danger of Beaumont romanticizing the painting’s island setting, with landfall barely visible in the distance.
Bikini Atoll Atomic Test, Arthur Beaumont, 1946, watercolor on paper
USS Fall River, Bikini Atoll Baker Bomb Test, July 25, 1946
Watercolor
13 x 17 in.Evacuation of the Fleet
A battleship painted orange is in the center of boats and ships
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 16H X 20W
Selected as ground zero for test ABLE, USS Nevada (BB- 36) was painted bright orange to assist the B-29 bomber crew find their aim point. Although the old battleship survived both bombs, extensive contamination from test BAKER led to her destruction by gunfire and aerial torpedoes in an exercise off Hawaii on 31 July 1948. The view is from the bridge of USS Arkansas (BB-33), during final test preparations and the evacuation of people and the support fleet from Bikini lagoon.Operation Crossroads, Joint Task Force One, Bikini Atoll "Able Day" Plus 1
The fleet one day after the ABLE test
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 17H X 20W
A panoramic view of the fleet after test ABLE sketched from the bridge of USS Arkansas (BB-33). The ship in the middle is the scorched USS Nevada (BB-36), with Nagato behind and Sakawa sinking in the foreground.The Independence in Tow
Aircraft carrier Independence under tow
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 17H X 20W
The thoroughly battered and twisted USS Independence (CVL-22) under tow to shallower water in preparation for test BAKER. She survived that second test, was later towed to California for study and eventually scuttled in 1948.Arc Dock Survived Both Bombs
A concrete repair dock with other ships
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 16H X 20W
Because concrete buildings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki withstood atomic explosions better than other building material, a concrete repair dock (ARDC) was brought to Bikini to test how reinforced concrete could withstand an atomic explosion. The minor damage it suffered proved its durability.Remains of Bikini Village
Damage to a village on Bikini Island
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 20H X 17W
The BAKER blast wave swept ashore and caused extensive damage to the village.Bikini Village After Tidal Wave Caused by the Bomb
Wreckage from the bomb blast on the beach of Bikini Island
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 15H X 20W
The BAKER blast caused a tidal wave that tossed landing craft onto the beach. This picture shows the damage done to one of those craft near the Bikini village.Cross Spikes Club
An improvised bar on an island in the Pacific
Painting, Watercolor on Paper; by Arthur Beaumont; 1946; Unframed Dimensions 18H X 22W
The Cross Spikes Club was an improvised bar, one of the only places where the men from Operation Crossroads could find entertainment during their June to September stay at Bikini.
Arthur Beaumont (1890-1978) Born: Norwich, England. In the 1930s, he became a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve and began producing the first of many watercolors depicting battle ships and other naval subjects.
