Wright of Derby: From the Shadows - The National Gallery Exhibition 2025/26

'Wright of Derby: From the Shadows' is the first major exhibition dedicated to the 18th century British artist and his ‘candlelight’ paintings. The study day will be an opportunity to rediscover this important artist and his extraordinary paintings and his engagement with light and darkness, his artistic practice and historical background as well as contemporary scientific, industrial and artistic developments which were crucial to his work. The study day will also focus on his visit to Italy and his novel and dramatic paintings of volcanic eruptions, inspired by Vesuvius, as well as his other dramatic landscapes, and portraits.

Lecture 1: Who was Joseph Wright? His Early Life and Training from Derby to London and Italy.

Lecture 2: Wright’s Tour of Italy and the Establishment of His Career in Bath and Derby.

Lecture 3: Wright’s Later Career and Legacy.

Text from National Gallery website - 7 November 2025 – 10 May 2026

In an interplay of light and darkness, Joseph Wright of Derby conjures sublime pictures of discovery and learning.

'Wright of Derby: From the Shadows' is the first major exhibition dedicated to the British artist’s ‘candlelight’ paintings. We celebrate and look again at his most admired works.

Illuminated faces gather around a variety of objects – from classical sculptures and scientific instruments to bones, bladders and animals. Through his unflinching scenes of people watching, Wright of Derby proposes moral questions about acts of looking. The strong light and deep shadows create drama, reminding us of great painters from earlier centuries like Caravaggio.

Challenging the traditionally held view of Wright of Derby as a figurehead of the Enlightenment, this exhibition contributes to the ongoing re-evaluation of the artist, portraying him not merely as a ‘painter of light’. More than virtuoso scenes of dramatic light and shade, Wright of Derby used the night-time to explore deeper and more sombre themes, including death, melancholy, morality, scepticism and the sublime.

With over twenty works, including other paintings, mezzotints, works on paper and objects the exhibition explores both Wright of Derby’s artistic practice and the historic context of scientific and artistic development in which they were made.