‘A wonderful whizz-bang overview of 18th century society and the finances & politics of such voyages – before we even got onto the men involved and specifically the artists. I emerged with my head whirring – it has inspired me to research further, which must be a big accolade.’
This was a response from one of The Arts Society Wokingham’s members to our Clifton Ingram-sponsored lecture on Thursday night, by James Taylor.
The lecture, Captain Cook and the Art of Exploration, had a great cast of characters all brought to life through their own word and their works.
James (pictured) was master of the changing cast, from voyage to voyage and of those involved in the extraordinary ‘official publication’ which followed each voyage.
The two main characters were Cook and Joseph Banks, renown in their own age as their numerous portraits attest.
Cook the seafarer from Yorkshire whose amazing draftsmanship, learned when mapping the St Lawrence River for the admiralty, marked him out for advancement.
His maps, so detailed they compare favourably with satellite images today and were in use for hundreds of years; the three voyages mapped more land than virtually any other explorer and going further south than anyone prior to the 20th century.
Banks, a wealthy networker who was, literally, potty about botany. He funded the first voyage, contributing £10,000, organised and scientific work and found the artists.
He was instrumental in organising the art into two main strands – natural history and botanic and landscape and artefacts, each headed by an artist.
This organisation was a success and was used by later voyages of exploration, including that of Darwin’s Beagle.
We were treated to examples of the art of Sydney Parkinson and Alexander Buchan from the first voyage, and some of the engravings which were created from the source material for the account of the voyage.
We also viewed some wonderful work from the Forster’s, father and son, and William Hodges from the second voyage, and from John Webber on the third voyage.
It was fascinating to see how the works referenced other European work of the time; to see the distinct influences in style and even technique from artists such as Claude and even some distinctly European flora in an antipodean setting!
Amazingly the art we enjoy today from these great voyages was primarily intended as promotion – promotion of the voyages and promotion of those involved.
But it was a fundamental brick in the development of the art of natural history, and map making, due to these extraordinary voyages.
Our next lecture, Florentine Disegno Versus Venetian Colorit: Fact and Fiction in Early Art Theory by Caroline Brooke, will be held on Thursday, April 25 at The Church, St Marks Road, Binfield, RG42 4AN, commencing at 7.45pm. Do come and join us. Visitor Fee: £6.
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