Captain James Cook's three epic voyages to the South Seas, undertaken between the years 1768-80, transformed the way that Europeans looked at the world beyond Europe. The apparent purpose of the second voyage was to search for evidence of a mythical, but much speculated upon, southern continent. While it greatly expanded geographical knowledge it also provided a wealth of information on the natural sciences. Cook's crew included such remarkable figures as the astronomer, William Wales, the naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and his son, George, and Anders Sparrman. These 'scientific gentlemen' were supplemented by the expedition's official draughtsman, William Hodges. Hodges was appointed to Cook's ship, 'Resolution', shortly before the explorer's departure in June 1772. Hodges's Admiralty brief was 'to make drawings and Paintings of such places as they may touch at worth notice, in their intended voyage' and to 'give a more perfect idea thereof that can be formed from written descriptions only'. While Hodges drew coastal views for navigation purposes, his main work was to gather material for landscape paintings. During the course of their three-year journey, the crews of Cook's 'Resolution' and its sister ship, 'Adventure', were exposed to extreme weather conditions, environments and peoples. These ranged from the icy wastes of Antarctic waters to the first Pacific landfall in the dense rain forest of New Zealand's Dusky Sound, from the complex, hierarchical cultures of the cluster of Society Islands to the most geographically remote of all Polynesian societies, Easter Island. Some of these lands and peoples had experienced visitors before. Cook had stayed among the people of Tahiti on his first voyage. In other cases, such as at New Caledonia, this expedition saw the very first encounters between Europeans and islanders. Contact was sometimes welcomed and amiable, at other times anxious and violent. The voyage required Hodges to respond to a staggering range of subjects, from the fantastical shapes of sea-worn ice to panoramic renderings of island cliffs and shores. He was asked to produce not only studies of the landscape, but portraits and botanical drawings. The artist proved remarkably flexible. Faced with exotic and unfamiliar landscapes, he was able to modify his conventional ways of working. Hodges often worked directly from the motif, in a way that anticipates plein-air painting of the 19th century. His voyage works are thus characterized by a close attentiveness to the atmospheric effects and light peculiar to the southern hemisphere. They also have a freshness and spontaneity that Hodges was to retain in his post-voyage works, based upon these in situ studies. On his return to London, Hodges supervised the engravings intended to illustrate the official account of the voyage. He also executed the series of epic paintings that can be explored on this site. These four pictures were to hang on the walls of the Admiralty, and they offer, not only an inspiring introduction to Hodges's work but also a wonderful insight into the voyage itself. Discover the art of Cook's second voyage
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National Maritime Museum website
