The Beverley Decorative and Fine Arts Society's meeting in June 2009 listened to a very interesting lecture on 'The Art of Exploration: The Voyages of Captain Cook and the Artists who went with him'.
Mrs Jennifer Shay, Chairperson, welcomed everyone and introduced the guest speaker - JamesTaylor. He was former curator of paintings, drawings and prints and co-ordinator of various exhibitions and galleries at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwic
h. His published works are: ‘Marine Painting’; ‘Yachts on Canvas’ and the catalogue for ‘Rule Britannia! Art, Power and Royalty’ to mark the 400th’s anniversary of Jamestown. This was his third visit to Beverley having previously spoken on ‘The Life and Loves of Horatio Nelson’ and ‘Masters of the Sea: Highlights of the 17th century to the Present Day’. As you would expect, James Taylor told a good yarn and the audience thoroughly enjoyed this lecture on art and adventure!
The talk gave a short biography of James Cook and his three voyages showing us that he was in fact a very modest man, practical and even handed. Born in Staithes, near Whitby, part of a humble Quaker family. James was an imposing figure being six feet in height. He joined the Royal Navy in 1755 and set off with Captain Hugh Pallister to survey Canada. During this period in history, there was a strong competitive drive to discover the New Worlds ahead of France and Spain and to use Astrology to collect data on navigation as well as to sail to lands where rich treasures such as furs, gold, plant specimens etc. could be found.
The illustrated talk featured the official artists who went with Captain Cook including - Alexander Buchan (who died of an epileptic fit), - Sydney Parkinson (who collected over 950 black and white sketches and added colour notes so that the artists in Soho could complete them on their return to London); - William Hodges (who taught Cook to paint and draw); and John Webber (who used tinted watercolours to paint scenes from Canada and Vancouver Island of the Macaroni Penguins and Walruses).
These artists – engravers, illustrators and Botanists lived and died creating perhaps the most striking and awe inspiring images of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific ever achieved. Their art helped make huge advances in the development of science and human knowledge through their illustrations, landscape paintings and images of many animals and plants never glimpsed before by Europeans.
This put art at the cutting edge as they sailed with the likes of Charles Green, the astronomer and Sir Joseph Banks ( educated at Eton, Harrow and Oxford, a very wealthy man who was mentor and advisor to King George) later Director of Kew , President of the Royal Society and the man behind the voyage of the Bounty.. There were several questions from the audience at the end of this thrilling account of James Cook’s voyages of discovery.
Next meeting: Wednesday July 15, 10am for 10.30am at the Willerby Manor Hotel, where members will listen to a lecture about ‘Gainsborough and Fashion : To make the Heart Dance’. Anyone wishing to attend should contact a member or membership secretary Mrs Lyn Fogden on tel.
