Joseph Wright of Derby | A view of Vesuvius from Posillipo, Naples

From: Art Gallery of South Australia

Joseph Wright (1734-1797) began his career as one of Britain foremost portrait painters, but, following a visit to Italy between 1773 and 1775, he turned his gaze to landscape painting, becoming recognised for his deep understanding and exploration of light.

Wright visited the Bay of Naples in 1774, finding its awe-inspiring view of Mount Vesuvius particularly moving.

Although the artist did not witness the eruption of the volcano himself, his imagination has envisioned the subliminal majesty of this natural phenomenon.

By painting predominantly in a muted palette of greys, blacks and browns, Wright accentuates the role of light and reflection in capturing the essence of this scene: the reflected moonlight draws the viewer into the painting, while the trail of molten lava on the side of Mount Vesuvius highlights the strange and other-worldly glow of the pink-red clouds above.

This landscape had a profound and transformative impact on Wright and, throughout the course of his career, he produced thirty different versions of this scene. | Source: © Art Gallery of South Australia

From: Christie's

Joseph Wright left England for Italy together with his pregnant wife Hannah, his pupil Richard Hurleston, John Downman, and the sculptor James Paine, in November 1773.

Travelling by sea, he had arrived in Nice by December, from where he sailed on to Genoa and to Leghorn, then travelling overland to Rome, where he arrived on 3 February 1774.

Wright remained in Italy until June the following year, staying principally in Rome, where he was deeply influenced by the grandeur and scale of the remains of ancient Rome and also by the works of the Italian masters.

While in Italy he executed relatively few finished oil paintings concentrating instead on absorbing what he was able to see and making numerous sketches and studies that were to form the basis of many of his major pictures on his return to England.

Aside from Rome, it was not surprising that Wright, whose fascination with science and dramatic light effect has been so evident in the industrial scenes of his early career, felt drawn to Naples, where it was possible to witness one of nature's most spectacular events, the eruption of Vesuvius.

Wright visited Naples in October and November 1774 noting in his diary of Vesuvius that it was one of the 'most wonderful sights in nature'.

It was a sight that was to continue to inspire him for the rest of his career providing the subject for over thirty paintings, among them some of his most celebrated compositions.

In this picture Vesuvius is shown at some distance, from almost as far as the Capo di Posillipo, the light caused by the awe inspiring force of the eruption breaking the calm of an otherwise tranquil moonlit evening.

The composition can be compared to those recorded in the collections of Mr George Anson and Major Miller Mundy, thought to have been painted circa 1789-90 (for which see B. Nicholson, Joseph Wright of Derby, Painter of Light, New York, 1968, I, nos. 267 and 269, fig. 99 [the former], II, pl. 294 [the latter]).

A variant of this composition of similar size to the present picture was sold at Sotheby's from the collection of Stanley J. Seeger on 14 June 2001, as lot 93. | Source: © Christie's

Il pittore Joseph Wright (1734-1797) iniziò la sua carriera come uno dei principali ritrattisti Britannici, ma, dopo una visita in Italia tra il 1773 e il 1775, rivolse il suo sguardo alla pittura di paesaggio, diventando riconosciuto per la sua profonda comprensione ed esplorazione della luce.

Wright visitò il Golfo di Napoli nel 1774, trovando particolarmente commovente la sua maestosa vista del Vesuvio.

Sebbene l'artista non abbia assistito personalmente all'eruzione del vulcano, la sua immaginazione ha immaginato la maestosità subliminale di questo fenomeno naturale.

Dipingendo prevalentemente in una tavolozza tenue di grigi, neri e marroni, Wright accentua il ruolo della luce e del riflesso nel catturare l'essenza di questa scena: la luce lunare riflessa attira lo spettatore nel dipinto, mentre la scia di lava fusa sul lato del dipinto Il Vesuvio evidenzia lo strano ed ultraterreno bagliore delle nuvole rosa-rosse sopra.

Questo paesaggio ha avuto un impatto profondo e trasformativo su Wright e, nel corso della sua carriera, ha prodotto trenta diverse versioni di questa scena. | Fonte: © Art Gallery of South Australia