Moonlight and Mortality: The enigmatic works of Joseph Wright of Derby

Was Joseph Wright of Derby Britain’s answer to Caravaggio?

He was a painter of light; candlelight, moonlight and fire. But he also painted another kind of light, the light of knowledge.

His magical works give us an insight into a unique period of time; the British enlightenment. Wright of Derby shows us a society on the brink of change, when a shift was taking place between religious ways of thinking, to a more ‘scientific’ approach. His works raise poignant questions about ethics, morality and man’s power over life and death.

Stella Grace Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer accredited with The Arts Society. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malaysia and will soon embark on a lecturing tour in Australasia.

Stella gained her BA in the History of Art with a 1st class in her dissertation from the University of Bristol (2007-2011), and her MA in History of Art from the University of Warwick.

She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Italy at the British Institute of Florence, and three months studying Venetian art in Venice. In addition, she attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in Florence, a private atelier that follows a curriculum based on the leading ateliers of nineteenth century Paris.

Stella runs her own Art History lectures and is a regular lecturer in the UK and Europe for The Arts Society, ACE Cultural Tours, Hebridean Island Cruises, Saga’s Art Appreciation Tours, and the National Trust, amongst others. Stella is also a part-time lecturer for the University of South Wales.

She has written about art for several publications and her article on Norwegian art was recently featured on the front cover of the Arts Society Magazine. In addition to her lecturing work, Stella works as an artist’s model for the internationally renowned figurative artist, Harry Holland.