Joseph Wright was born in Derby, the son of a local lawyer. Among his patrons were Wedgwood and Arkwright. Although some of his paintings have been associated with the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, Wright's principal interest was in the dramatic rendering of light and shade offered by such subjects.
Joseph Wright 'of Derby'
1734 - 1797
Paintings by Joseph Wright 'of Derby'
An audience has gathered around a lecturer to watch an experiment. It is night, and the room is lit by a single candle that burns behind a large rounded glass containing a diseased human skull. A white cockatoo has been placed in a glass container from which the air is being pumped to create a va...
Born in 1747, Thomas Coltman inherited Hagnaby Priory, near East Kirkby in Lincolnshire, in 1768. He and his wife Mary Barlow are portrayed here probably a year or so after their marriage in October 1789. The couple can also be seen in Wright’s great painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pu...