A Meagre Serving of Derby's Finest

If you're thinking about seeing Wright of Derby: From the Shadows at the National Gallery in London, be warned: There's not a huge amount to this show. The gallery describes it as "the first major exhibition dedicated to the British artist’s 'candlelight' paintings". Major? There are actually only 10 of Joseph Wright's oil paintings in this smallish display, and while they certainly include some of his finest, it's not a lot for your money.  

Especially as the star attraction is An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, Wright's masterpiece of 1768, which you can usually see for free just yards away in another room in the gallery, in rather less cramped circumstances. Without a shadow of a doubt, it's an astonishing painting, somehow encapsulating the 18th-century Enlightenment -- the advance of reason and science -- in one image. Whenever we're in the National Gallery we almost always stop by to look at it for a minute or two. 

There is so much to see -- not just the conducting of the scientific experiment and the reactions (or non-reactions) of the people involved -- but the artistic efforts and challenges faced by Wright in creating this richly textured work. You can take your time exploring the composition, the positioning of the figures, their emotions and postures, the clothing and the objects. 

The lecturer or master of ceremonies -- what would have been called a natural philosopher in Wright's time -- who surely has one of the most memorable facial expressions (and hairstyles) in British art, has demonstrated how the removal of air from the glass jar using the air pump has rendered the cockatiel almost lifeless. He stands ready to restore the air supply (the man at the front left appears to be counting down the time with a watch in his hand) but the question is, of course, will the bird revive -- or expire? One of the two girls cannot watch; the smaller looks anxiously up at the apparatus. An older man, front right, is deep in thought, but the couple on the left only have eyes for each other. 

And then there is the lighting. The main source is a candle behind a liquid-filled glass vessel containing a skull, but there is also a full moon, partly obscured by clouds, that is soon to be shut out by the boy closing the curtains. This is not simply chiaroscuro but tenebrism, ramping those contrasts between light and dark up a notch. 

What about the remaining pictures? Well, half the oils (as well as a pastel and a wall of mezzotints) are from Derby Museum and Art Gallery, which holds the biggest collection of Wright's work. And hanging at right angles to the Air Pump is Wright's second most-famous scientific composition, A Philosopher Giving That Lecture on the Orrery in Which a Lamp Is Put in Place of the Sun.

An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system, showing how the planets move. There is rapt attention from the attendees, at least the older ones who are trying to take it all in. The younger children are fascinated in their own way. The lecturer appears to be pausing to ensure the note-taker on the left has got it all down correctly.  

Now, you do get to see an actual orrery from around 1750 in a glass case alongside the painting, on loan from Dumfries House in Ayrshire. There's also an historic air pump on show, albeit different from the one in the painting and minus the poor bird. But while somewhat interesting, they don't add very much to the exhibition. We'd rather they'd sourced more of Wright's art. 

And not just from Derby, which is also the home of The Alchymist.

While searching for the philosopher's stone, the substance that will turn base metal into gold, the alchemist has in fact discovered white phosphorus. A eureka moment! This composition has a triple light source: the experimental vessel, the candle on the table to the left, and the moon glimpsed through the Gothic window at the back on the right.

A further Derby picture is a nocturnal outdoor scene depicting a man filling in fox holes to ensure that the animals won't be able to escape back into their dens when they're being chased by mounted huntsmen and their dogs in the morning.

The lantern by the fast-flowing river and the light of the moon reveal small details: a repair to the blade of the spade, the workman's ragged trousers, his dog and the rump and tail of his white horse grazing just off the bank. All amid the Derbyshire landscape. 

The most striking of the loans from private collections is this one: Two Boys Fighting over a Bladder, which they're using in rather a rough game. 

The candle in this picture has just been knocked over and is surely likely to go out within seconds, extinguishing any source of light. As it is, this painting has an incredibly almost abstract feel for something created in the 18th century. The inflated bladder and the boy seen from the back are just shapes. 

This show demonstrates. according to the National Gallery, how "through his unflinching scenes of people watching, Wright of Derby proposes moral questions about acts of looking." That feels a little bit over-philosophising. It's surely all about the light, the drama, the sense of exploration. Did we feel we got a lot out of this exhibition? No, to be honest. Before going, we'd refreshed our memories of Wright's work by reading a 1990s book about him from the Tate's British Artists series, now out of print. And we can't say we learned much new. We'd love to see a great comprehensive Joseph Wright exhibition, encompassing all aspects of his output, such as his views of industry, portraiture and scenes of natural phenomena. This rather thin show isn't what we were hoping for. 

Practicalities

Wright of Derby: From the Shadows is on at the National Gallery in London until May 10. The gallery is open daily from 1000 to 1800, and until 2100 on Fridays (closed December 24-26 and January 1). We spent about 45 minutes in the exhibition. Standard adult ticket prices for this show are £16.50 including Gift Aid, £14 without. You can book ahead online with a timeslot here but it's unlikely to be necessary.

The gallery is on the north side of Trafalgar Square, just a couple of minutes from Charing Cross or Leicester Square stations on the rail and Underground networks.

The show will be going on to Derby Museum and Art Gallery in the summer of 2026; details to be announced. 

Also on at the National Gallery

Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists, starring the Pointillism of Georges Seurat, Paul Signac and Théo van Rysselberghe, is, by contrast, the most enjoyable exhibition we've been to all year. However, if you're planning to see both these shows and expect to visit another paid-for exhibition at this venue over the next 12 months, you'd be well advised to consider taking out membership, given the level of ticket prices. 

Images

Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768. © The National Gallery, London
Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Giving That Lecture on the Orrery in Which a Lamp Is Put in Place of the Sun, 1764-66, Derby Museum and Art Gallery. © Derby Museums
Joseph Wright of Derby, The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher's Stone, Discovers Phosphorus, and Prays for the Successful Conclusion of his Operation as Was the Custom of the Ancient Chymical Astrologers, 1771, reworked 1795, Derby Museum and Art Gallery. © Derby Museums
Joseph Wright of Derby, An Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent, 1773, Derby Museum and Art Gallery. © Derby Museums
Joseph Wright of Derby, Two Boys Fighting over a Bladder, about 1767-70, Private collection, care of Omnia Art Ltd. © Omnia Art Ltd