Joseph Wright
1734–1797 · British · 31 artworks
RomanticismEnlightenment Arttenebrismdramatic lightingscientific accuracylandscape depictionportraiture
artist bio
Joseph Wright of Derby was an English landscape and portrait painter. He is known for his innovative use of light and shadow, particularly in his paintings of industrial and scientific subjects, capturing the spirit of the Enlightenment.
what you'll learn
Studying Wright's work allows students to explore the use of dramatic lighting (tenebrism) to create mood and narrative, and to understand the intersection of art and science during the Enlightenment. Students can also learn about portraiture and landscape painting techniques.
related: Caravaggio, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Francisco Goya
31 artworks
James and Mary Shuttleworth with One of Their Daughters
1764
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The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus or The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone
1771
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Vesuvius from Portici
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Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym
1766
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An Italian Landscape with Mountains and a River
1790
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An Eruption of Vesuvius, seen from Portici
1776
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Harvey Wilmot
1760
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Dovedale by Moonlight
1785
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Mrs. Andrew Lindington
1762
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Cornet Sir George Cooke
1768
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Matlock Tor by Daylight
1780
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John Whitehurst
1783
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View in Matlock Dale, Looking Towards Black Rock Escarpment
1785
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Portrait of Dr Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) scientist, inventor and poet, grandfather of Charles Darwin
1770
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Mrs. Wilmot in Riding Dress
1763
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Richard Cheslyn
1777
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Mrs. Sarah Clayton
1769
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Samuel Crompton
1780
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Anne or Molly Cracroft
1760
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William Rastall
1764
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Christopher Heath
1781
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Study of a Young Girl in a Turban and Frilled Collar
1768
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Mrs. John Ashton
1769
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John Pickering
1780
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Portrait of Richard Arkwright Junior with his Wife Mary and Daughter Anne
1790
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Simon Wilmot
1760
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Anne Bateman, later Mrs. John Gisbourne
1755
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An Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, with the Procession of St. Januariu'-s Head
1778
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A Cavern, Evening
1774
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Captain Robert Shore Milnes
1772
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Self-Portrait at the Age of about Fifty
1782
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