Joseph Wright

Key facts

Lived

1756–1793, American

Works held in

3 museums

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• How did joseph wright died?+

  Joseph Wright died in 1793 at the age of 37.
• Joseph wright of derby art style?+

  While in Italy from 1773 to 1775, Joseph Wright witnessed an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The geological implications fascinated him and became the subject of several paintings, including Mount Vesuvius from Posillipo, which includes a dramatic use.
• What is Joseph Wright's most famous work?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby is remembered for his paintings of candlelit subjects, scientific instruments, and industrial scenes. One work is more famous than the others: *An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump*, completed in 1768. It is in the collection of the National Gallery, London. The painting shows a travelling lecturer demonstrating the principles of a vacuum to a group of onlookers. A bird is placed inside a glass jar, and air is slowly extracted. The observers range in age and reaction, from scientific curiosity to concern for the animal. The strong light source is a candle, hidden by the glass, which illuminates the scene. Wright was part of the Lunar Society, a group of scientists and industrialists based in the Midlands. His paintings often reflected their interests in science and technology. He capitalised on the contemporary vogue for dramatic lighting effects, influenced by artists like Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Wright created other paintings with similar lighting, such as *A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery* (1766) and *An Iron Forge* (1772). These paintings combine scientific subject matter with dramatic chiaroscuro, a technique that makes his work distinctive.
• What should I know about Joseph Wright's prints?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) was an English painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. Prints relating to Wright fall into a few categories. Some are original prints, conceived as prints. More common are reproductive prints, copies of works the artist conceived in another medium, such as paintings. These reproductions are often made via photomechanical means. The numbering or signing of a reproduction does not change its status; it remains a copy, not an original print. Prints were expected to be large enough to fill a wall and take on the appearance of fine art when framed. The size was often governed by that of the original painting. Engravers inevitably had to reduce the size of a work. When framed, the print represented an imposing addition to a drawing room. The pricing of prints varies depending on the quantity available, the artist’s reputation, the image's popularity, and the paper, ink, and printing process quality.
• What style or movement did Joseph Wright belong to?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) trained with the rococo painter Thomas Hudson. Wright is known for his dramatic candlelit and moonlit scenes. He had an interest in subjects that could be illuminated by a single light source within the picture. Wright's style incorporates realism. His attention to detail appealed to industrialists of his time. Scientific and industrial innovators, such as Josiah Wedgwood and Sir Richard Arkwright, purchased Wright's works. They felt that Wright's elevation of Industrial Revolution theories and inventions to the level of history painting was exciting and attuned to the future. His time in Italy, from 1773 to 1775, influenced his work. Wright witnessed an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which fascinated him. He created several paintings on the subject, including *Mount Vesuvius from Posillipo* (circa 1788). The painting uses chiaroscuro to emphasise the power of nature. Wright joined the Lunar Society after his Grand Tour. The society championed scientific advances and their practical applications. Its members included industrialists, merchants, and intellectuals from industrialised cities like Birmingham.
• What techniques or materials did Joseph Wright use?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby, active during the late 18th century, is recognised for his exploration of light and shadow, a technique known as chiaroscuro. This dramatic lighting, often seen in religious art of the baroque period, became a hallmark of Wright's style. Wright's technique involved intense illumination to create theatrical scenes. Unlike Caravaggio, whose light sources often appear supernatural, Wright employed light for dramatic effect, particularly in his paintings of scientific subjects. Before becoming an oil painter, Wright trained as a watercolourist. Some artists used white grounds to add luminosity to their oil paintings. Turner also used white primings for many of his oils. Absorbent surfaces allowed a rapid indication of the final colour.
• What was Joseph Wright known for?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) is remembered as an accomplished English painter. He is particularly noted for his skill with chiaroscuro, and for paintings of candlelit subjects or industrial scenes. Wright spent his career almost entirely in provincial England. He was born in Derby, trained in London with Thomas Hudson, and lived for a time in Liverpool. He also spent two years in Italy, from 1773 to 1775. He was made a full member of the Royal Academy in 1784. Wright painted portraits, often of local gentry and merchants. He also produced history paintings, sometimes on unusual subjects. His painting *An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump* (1768) shows a natural philosopher performing a demonstration. *The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus* (1771) depicts a scientist in his laboratory. These paintings combined close observation with dramatic lighting, and they are among Wright's most famous works. He has been called the first important English painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution.
• When did Joseph Wright live and work?+

  Joseph Wright of Derby was born in Derby in 1734 and died there in 1797. He spent most of his career in Derby and London, but he also worked for periods in Bath, Liverpool, and Italy. Wright began his training in London in 1751, studying with Thomas Hudson, a painter of the rococo style. Hudson had also been the teacher of Joshua Reynolds. Later, from 1773 to 1775, Wright travelled in Italy on a Grand Tour. While there, he saw Mount Vesuvius erupting, an event that inspired paintings such as *Mount Vesuvius from Posillipo*, circa 1788. Wright is known for paintings that combine portraiture with scientific and industrial subjects. In 1762, he likely attended a series of lectures on mechanics given by James Ferguson in Derby. These lectures may have inspired his 1766 painting, *Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery*. After his Grand Tour, Wright settled in Derby and joined the Lunar Society, an organisation that promoted scientific advances. His 1768 work, *Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump*, shows a group of people watching a scientific demonstration.
• Where can I see Joseph Wright's work?+

  You can find Joseph Wright's paintings in several public collections. In London, visit the National Gallery, where you can see *An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump*. Other London museums with works by Wright are the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Outside London, Wright's work can be seen at the Manchester Art Gallery and the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh. In the United States, Wright's art is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, visit the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
• Where did joseph wright of derby live?+

  Joseph Wright was originally from Derby, but he moved to London in 1751. He worked primarily in London and Derby, but also spent several years in Bath, Liverpool, and Italy.
• Where was joseph wright from?+

  Joseph Wright was from Derby. Born there in 1734, he is often known as Joseph Wright of Derby. He moved to London in 1751 to study with Thomas Hudson, a painter of the Rococo style. Hudson had also taught Joshua Reynolds. Wright spent several years working in London and Derby. He also lived in Bath, Liverpool, and Italy for a time. During a Grand Tour from 1773 to 1775, Wright saw Mount Vesuvius erupting. The geological implications interested him, and he made several paintings of the event. One such work is *Mount Vesuvius from Posillipo*, circa 1788. In 1762, James Ferguson, a Scottish scientist, lectured on mechanics in Derby. The lectures probably inspired Wright's 1766 painting *Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery*. Wright later joined the Lunar Society after settling in Derby. The society promoted scientific advances and their practical applications. Its members included industrialists, wealthy merchants, and intellectuals from industrialised cities like Birmingham. Wright died in Derby in 1797.
• Who did Joseph Wright influence?+

  Joseph Wright trained with Thomas Hudson, who also taught Joshua Reynolds. Wright's patrons included Josiah Wedgwood, Richard Arkwright, and Erasmus Darwin. Wright is known for an innovative type of portraiture. It combined images of the merchant class and wealthy entrepreneurs with scenes of scientific developments from the Industrial Revolution. His painting *Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump* (1768) shows a group of people gathered around a scientific experiment. Wright's detailed naturalism is evident in *Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery* (1766), an early example of a machine used to study the rotation of planets. Wright was friendly with some of Britain's leading scientists. He likely had access to sophisticated lenses. By the eighteenth century, camera obscuras were readily available and used by artists, including Canaletto and Reynolds. It is suggested that optics had a deep influence on painting and were used by artists.