A white cockatoo is in danger of dying as air is drawn into its glass trap. The two little girls looked on, shocked. Maybe the songbird is their pet? That unfortunate bird is the center of attention in Joseph Wright’s 1768 painting Inspection of the Bird in the Air Pump. A popular artwork in the UK, the piece is the marquee painting at the National Gallery in London’s new exhibition “Wright of Derby: From the Shadows”. It’s not as if Wright didn’t have other ways to use the demise of the beautiful bird in the picture. A sealed paper bag would fill with air as oxygen is released from a glass globe, for example. But that would be boring, and Wright was a dramatist. And, none of this would have happened without the wild-haired pump operator facing the canvas. He is in charge. If he could stop the pump and let the air back into the glass, the bird would survive. Talk about intense.
Born in the city of Derby in the north of England in 1734, Joseph Wright was active in the Age of Enlightenment. The air pump was a relatively new invention, a contraption that showed that space was something that could be used, a strong idea in the eighteenth century. Until then, ancient religion and philosophy had defined what things were. Spirit was an Aristotelian element, an immutable substance that lived between earth and fire. Thus, within the drama, Wright was also documenting the kind of scientific progress that reflected the new thinking of the era. His painting of 1771 The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosophers Stone, Finds Phosphorus, and prays for a successful end to his labors as was the practice of the ancient astrologers. shows the German alchemist Hennig Brand accidentally discovering phosphorus while trying to turn the base metal into gold. Like his drawing of the air pump, Wright was putting a significant amount of time into science. Although Benjamin Franklin had been experimenting with lightning since the 1750s, electricity had yet to become a source of light and power. So Hennig’s accidental discovery—that man could create an artificial light source—was another epochal lightbulb moment.
The theme of light runs throughout the show. There are more than 20 pieces on view, focusing on Wright’s candlelight work, a time when the artist used a single light source to create atmosphere and anticipation. And with light comes darkness. Wright’s dense, flat shadows frame the action, bringing depth and drama to the fore. It is natural to compare his output with the work of art by another great dramatist and master of light, Caravaggio. Both artists used the dark light scheme of chiaroscuro, although Wright tended towards tenebrism, which is very different. Where Caravaggio’s sense of tension stemmed from emotional trauma and social well-being, Wright’s work was more pastoral and less dangerous, unless he was a bird, despite his dramatic tendencies. Caravaggio, of course, had painted his last works nearly a century earlier. Still, Wright’s work is impressive. Earthstopper on the banks of the Derwent from 1773 it is a model of the ministry. A man fills in the ground, also known as foxholes, to prevent foxes from hiding in their dens during the next day’s hunt by the River Derwent. As the miner toils, the night sky looks up. In The philosopher is Lamplightpainted around 1769, a philosopher stands outside, examining human bones in his attempt to understand the structure of the human body, illuminated by the flame of a single lamp.
Wright’s work focuses on real-life situations, but is also rich in imagery. Completed in 1766, The Philosopher Who Gives That Lesson About the Orrery in Which the Lamp Is Placed it shows a scientist showing the orbits of the sun. At the same time, it represents the broad epiphanies of the Age of Enlightenment. As it runs through the center of the orrery, the sun emits a new light as science triumphs over religion and superstition. The curators have placed the original orrery in a vitrine beside the painting, a careful reproduction of the original machine. Wright’s association with people such as Josiah Wedgwood of the Wedgwood potter, Richard Arkwright, a pioneer of industrial machinery, and the astronomer James Ferguson, who often lectured in Derby, meant that he traveled with leading minds in science and industry. In recording actual experiments, Wright’s drawings serve as reporting, documenting the cumulative technological breakthroughs that paved the way to the Industrial Revolution.
There are also many unusual paintings to see. Both from 1770, Two boys of the same grade again A Girl Reading A Book With An Old Man Reading Over Her Shoulder It appears kitschy and Rockwell-esque. These are imaginative, touching depictions of everyday life that were fashionable at the time. Still, the combination of struggling youth is interesting. From a distance, one of these figures looks like an act of vandalism, a swirling smear of black paint on a canvas. A closer look reveals that the boy has his back to us and is interpreted almost as a shadowy figure. His enemy recoils, clutching his ear in pain. It’s smart stuff.
Wright made five versions of his Hardware Store series. The 1771 example on view here, as The Earthstopperplayed at night. At this time, the main source of light is a lump of iron that the farriers hammered into shape. Bright metal picks up the blacksmiths cheeks and beaded nails as the moon shines on the workshop roof.
Wright’s sense of the theater was profound. The figures in his large paintings are almost life-size. Imagine how they reacted when they were first revealed. This is high life, with the audience cast as participants, taking in the scenes around them. More than 250 years on, Wright’s paintings of Derby remain a fascinating testament to the master of lighting.
“Wright of Derby: From the Shadows“ is at the National Gallery in London until 10 May 2026. Advanced booking is recommended.
More show updates
