Title of Artwork: “Vesuvius in Eruption”
Artwork by Joseph Wright
Year Created 1777-1780
Summary of Vesuvius in Eruption
An artist named J. Wright of Derby did a series about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and painted this picture as a part of that series. Between 1773 and 1775, he went to Italy. He was in Naples in the fall of 1774.
All About Vesuvius in Eruption
Even though Vesuvius had last erupted in 1767, Wright of Derby went to the area during a quiet time of volcanic activity and didn’t see a big eruption, so he didn’t see it.
After Sir William Hamilton, a British diplomat and member of the Royal Society, told him about Vesuvius, he went to Italy and learned about it from him. Because of Hamilton and other people, Wright might have been able to get hold of a lot of images of the volcano’s eruptive history, which he used to sketch and paint.
The painting has a strong sense of the sublime, which was a common theme in Europe during the Pre-romantic era. Wright’s Vesuvius shows how powerful nature is in a way that makes it look like humans haven’t had any effect on the landscape.
Even though Wright of Derby lived in Italy for a long time, he started and finished this painting when he came back to the United Kingdom.
Information Citations
En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.
