Spotlight on: Geoff Hunt

 

Geoff Hunt is one of the world’s finest painters of 18th and 19th century ships. Through his research for paintings he is a leading authority on naval history and ship architecture of the period and has a special interest in the ships and commands of Lord Nelson.

He is best known for painting the covers of Patrick O'Brian novels in the Captain Aubrey series, where his meticulous attention to historical detail serves him well.

 

 

Master and Commander	Post Captain	HMS Surprise	The Mauritius Command
Desolation Island	The Fortune of War	The Surgeon’s Mate	The Ionian Mission
Treason’s Harbour	The Far Side of the World	The Reverse of the Medal	The Letter of Marque
The Thirteen-gun Salute	The Nutmeg of Consolation	Clarissa Oakes	The Wine-dark Sea
The Commodore	The Yellow Admiral	The Hundred Days	Blue at the Mizzen

 

Geoff is married with two sons and lives in Wimbledon. He studied at Kingston and Epsom Schools of Art 1966-70. He became a freelance artist and designer, and was Art Editor of WARSHIP journal 1977-79. In 1979-80 he sold up house and with his wife cruised their yacht Kipper to the Mediterranean and back.

Since returning he has devoted himself to marine painting. His work is now represented in the collections of Naval establishments and private individuals in this country and worldwide. In 1989 the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth purchased his series of twelve paintings depicting the Navy’s work during the Napoleonic Wars. He was elected to membership of the Royal Society of Marine Artists in December 1989.

Geoff was President of Britain’s prestigious Royal Society of Marine Artists and he oversaw the lead-up to the commemoration of the bicentenary of Trafalgar in 2005.

With Tragalgar in mind below are images depicting this famous sea battle along with other images of the sea.

 

"Victory" breaks the enemy line, Trafalgar 21st October 1805	"Victory" races "Temeraire" for the enemy line, 21st October 1805
"Victory" and squadron in light airs	"HMS Agamemnon" - Nelson's first flagship leads the squadron, Mediterranean, 1796
Launching Day, USS America The first United States battleship: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 5 November 1782	Fireships on the Hudson River. Night attack on HM ships Phoenix and Rose, August 1776

 

 

The film of the first novel in the series - Master and Commander - stars Russel Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubrey.

Details of the film here at the IMDB

Geoff Hunt's online portfolio is here