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William Hodges (1744 - 1797)English painter, born in London. Hodges was educated at William Shipley's drawing school before serving as pupil and assistant to the landscape painter Richard Wilson (1714-82) from 1758 to 1763. He also attended the drawing and sculpture classes of G.B. Cipriani and Joseph Wilton at the Duke of Richmond's sculpture gallery. In 1772, probably recommended by a member of the Admiralty Board, Hodges joined the crew of the 'Resolution' as landscape artist on Captain Cook's second expedition to the Pacific Ocean (1772-1775). This was Cook's most extended voyage, and Hodges accumulated many studies, including some portrait drawings and a few finished oils. Hodges's picturesque treatment of exotic lands and his skill in rendering light effects are exemplified by the 'View of the Cape of Good Hope' (BHC1778), and the pair of 'Monuments on Easter Island' (BHC1795) and 'View in the Province of Oparee, Tahiti' (BHC1936). The first was done in situ in 1772, shipped home from Cape Town and exhibited at the Free Society in 1774. Many others were shown at the Royal Academy upon his return. His work for the Admiralty ended in late 1778, and in 1779 he sailed for India, where he gained the patronage of Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal. He returned home in 1783 and began to exhibit Indian subjects, as well as publishing 44 prints of ‘Select Views in India’ (1785–88) and a memoir of his travels there in 1793. After a short-lived trip to Russia in 1792, he organised in 1794 a private exhibition of a selection of his work which included the ‘Effects of Peace’ (ZBA4127) and the ‘Consequences of War’ (ZBA4128). Deemed subversive at a time of conflict with revolutionary France, it was shut in 1795 on the orders of HRH The Duke of York. Hodges gave up painting shortly afterwards, sold all his work, moved to Devon and became partner in a small bank at Dartmouth. The venture collapsed in 1797 and he died on 6 March of the same year. List all records by William Hodges View by: |
![BHC2375 View of Part of the Island of Ulietea [Raiatea] ©National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London](http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/images/100/BHC/23/BHC2375.jpg)
