Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1792)
| Artist Name | Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1792) |
|---|---|
| Title | View in Wales 1760 |
| Description | An original large oil on canvas which is stunning in its beauty and depicts an open landscape, titled verso " A View in Wales". A sublime 18th century British landscape oil painting,circa 1760, it is attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby and has fine provenance. |
| Provenance | Thomas Agnew and Sons Ltd London Christies March 22nd 1968 Lot 114 sold as by Joseph Wright of Derby |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 24 x 16 inches |
| Frame | 32 inch by 24 in 18th century carved and gilded frame |
| Condition | Good condition |
| Biography | Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was one of the most distinguished 18th century English landscape and portrait painters. He was born into a family of lawyers in Irongate, Derby. Wright trained in London from 1751 under portratist Thomas Hudson for three years and became his assistant. In 1753 he returned to Derby and painted portraits with his developed technicque of Chiareoscuro, or prominant contrast. In 1756 he returned to Hudson's studio and then moved to Liverpool in 1768 and painted portraits of prominant citizens. In 1773 Wright married and like many artists of his era he travelled to Italy in the mid 1770's. Here he painted classical statues and ancient ruins as well as the marvelous Italian landscape. He witnessed volcanic activity in Naples which inpsired dozens of paintings of dramatic fire and darkness. Wright was friends with Richard Wilson (1714-1782) and they often painted together and even exchanged paintings. Often their paintings have been misattributed to the other. Wright has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wright is notable for his use of chiaroscuro effect, which emphasises the contrast of light and dark, and, for his paintings of candle-lit subjects. His paintings of the birth of science out of alchemy, often based on the meetings of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, a group of scientists and industrialists living in the English Midlands, are a significant record of the struggle of science against religious values in the period known as the Age of Enlightenment. Many of Wright's paintings and drawings are owned by Derby City Council, and are on display at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery. |
| Price | SOLD |
