Hodges
William Hodges 1744–1797: the Art of Exploration
The exhibition has closed and is not currently touring around the world.
The artist who accompanied Captain Cook
The National Maritime Museum staged the first exhibition celebrating the entire career of William Hodges. Often overlooked among his 18th-century contemporaries, Hodges left an indelible mark on the art world - influencing landscape art through his innovative treatment of new subjects.
The exhibition brought together over 50 oil paintings and more than 20 works on paper, many of which had never been on public display before. The display reassessed Hodges, placing his work firmly in the context of British global maritime expansion.
William Hodges online
Visit our William Hodges website to explore four of Hodges's key paintings of the Pacific Islands. This series of ambitious, large-scale paintings commemorates the achievements of Cook's second voyage (1772–75). Find out about the artist and art on the voyage from a timeline and interactive map.
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Artist of the Pacific
As an aspiring artist, Hodges trained under Richard Wilson, an influential founder of the British school of landscape painting. Wilson had a profound effect on Hodges and the exhibition sheds new light in this period of his development.
William Hodges later rose to fame as the official artist on Cook's second expedition to the Pacific. We reveal the groundbreaking 'plein-air' methods of representing landscapes that he developed on the voyage.
Find out more from our William Hodges website (see above).
Museum finds the only painting of the Antarctic
In preparing paintings for the exhibition, the head of oil painting conservation noticed usual things about some of them, prompting her to X-ray, among others, 'A view of Pickersgill Harbour, Dusky Bay'.
It was discovered that the rainforest gives way to a startlingly different view – of Antarctic icebergs in a rough sea (below, right) Clearly, Hodges had painted the Antarctic and then decided for whatever reason to paint over it – the only known 'oil painting' of the Antarctic.
Artist of India
After returning from the Pacific, Hodges became the first professional landscape painter to work in India. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to see this aspect of his work, including commissions from his chief patrons Warren Hastings and Augustus Cleveland.
Also on display are his detailed representations of the country's history through its landscapes and monuments, alongside work of contemporary Indian artists.
Buy online - www.nmm.ac.uk/shop
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue, published in association with the Yale University Press. It has a foreword by Sir David Attenborough and contributions on all aspects of Hodges's career by leading specialists.
You can also buy a print of some of the paintings and drawings on display in the exhibition. A small selection is available in the online shop - or visit our Picture Library pages to find out how to order.
Useful links
- There is a selection of oil paintings by Hodges on our Maritime Art Greenwich website
- Find out about the history of the Queen's House
