Candle-Light Subjects.—“The Gladiator” Picture.—Commences to Paint Landscapes in 1772.—List of Pictures Exhibited at the Society of Artists’ Rooms.—List of Pictures Exhibited at the Royal Academy.—Wright holds an Exhibition in 1785, of his Own Works, in London.—Wright’s Generosity in Giving Pictures to his Friends.—Wright, a Pioneer in Water-Colour Painting.
Candle-Light Subjects.—“The Gladiator” Picture.—Commences to Paint Landscapes in 1772.—List of Pictures Exhibited at the Society of Artists’ Rooms.—List of Pictures Exhibited at the Royal Academy.—Wright holds an Exhibition in 1785, of his Own Works, in London.—Wright’s Generosity in Giving Pictures to his Friends.—Wright, a Pioneer in Water-Colour Painting.
It is interesting to note in the life of an artist who showed such varied talents, at what periods he entered on the different walks of art, which he trod with such success. We know that Wright painted portraits only whilst under Hudson’s tuition; and even for several years after his second period of study under that master, which was during the year 1756, he seems to have attempted nothing else. We are also able to all but fix the dates of many of his early candle-light and historical subjects, because they were exhibited at the rooms of the Society of Artists.[7]The first of these appeared in 1765, and was called “Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator[8]by Candle-light.” In the same way we can fix approximately the date of his first landscape as 1772.
From such records we may also conclude with some certainty that it was Wright’s own innate genius that impelled him to study those effects of artificial light with which his name is so strongly associated, for hitherto no English painter had attempted them, and he did not leave England till 1773.
His visit to Italy, in 1774–5, where he saw a grand Eruption of Vesuvius, merely turned his natural predilection for strange effects of light into a new channel. This eruption may be said to have been the father of his numerous landscapes of volcanoes and conflagrations. Of the eruption alone he painted about eighteen pictures, each of which was treated in a manner differing more or less from the rest. In his striking pictures of sun and moonlight, which also began about this time, we see the same love for unusual and powerful effects of light.
From a letter in the possession of Lord Lansdowne, the owner of “The Gladiator,” which, by the courtesy of his lordship, I am able to transcribe, we learn that this picture was not sold until the year 1772. In Wright’s MS. book the price named is £40. and Dr. Bates is entered as the purchaser. This price must be an error, or only a part payment, as will be seen from the letter, which is from Wright to Dr. Bates, and was sold with the picture. There is little doubt that this was the picture mentioned in the letter, although it is not referred to by name.
“Derby, 12th September, 1772.“Dear Sir,“Last night I received a letter from our friend Burdett, whereby I understood you consent to give me £130 for the picture. I must let it go at that price, as I am under a necessity of immediately raising £1,200 on a mortgage, and have only £1,000 by me, it was on this account I offered it to you at 125 guineas. I shall say no more on the subject, only desire for my interest, you will never mention what you gave for it, as it might much injure me in the future sale of my pictures, and when I send you a receipt for the money I shall acknowledge a greater sum.“I wish it may be convenient for you to remit me the money immediately, as Michaelmas is the time fixed for the payment of the money, and though I have lent more money than I now want, upon the person’s bare note, and without interest, I know not a man that would lend me a hundred pounds without high interest and good security. You see how I am circumstanced, and have no doubt but you’ll immediately assist me with the money if you can. I think myself much obliged to you for offering me the assistance any of your pictures can give me.“I am, with compliments to Mrs. Bates, though not known,“Dear sir,“Your affectionate friend,“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Derby, 12th September, 1772.
“Dear Sir,
“Last night I received a letter from our friend Burdett, whereby I understood you consent to give me £130 for the picture. I must let it go at that price, as I am under a necessity of immediately raising £1,200 on a mortgage, and have only £1,000 by me, it was on this account I offered it to you at 125 guineas. I shall say no more on the subject, only desire for my interest, you will never mention what you gave for it, as it might much injure me in the future sale of my pictures, and when I send you a receipt for the money I shall acknowledge a greater sum.
“I wish it may be convenient for you to remit me the money immediately, as Michaelmas is the time fixed for the payment of the money, and though I have lent more money than I now want, upon the person’s bare note, and without interest, I know not a man that would lend me a hundred pounds without high interest and good security. You see how I am circumstanced, and have no doubt but you’ll immediately assist me with the money if you can. I think myself much obliged to you for offering me the assistance any of your pictures can give me.
“I am, with compliments to Mrs. Bates, though not known,
“Dear sir,
“Your affectionate friend,
“JO. WRIGHT.”
Upon examining the following list of his pictures exhibited at the Rooms of the Society of Artists, it will be noticed that for ten years, from 1765 to 1775, only one landscape is mentioned; but on his return from Italy, in 1776, he exhibited his first picture of Vesuvius, and from this date he evidently paid much more attention to landscape, and almost ceased to paint candle-light effects, which, up to that date, had, with portraiture, almost entirely engrossed his pencil.
Whilst in Italy he made many landscape sketches from nature, which supplied him on his return to England with the greater part of the material for the landscapes he produced from 1775to within a few years of his death, although these were interspersed with scenes from Scotland, Derbyshire, and the Lake District.
Wright was at an early period elected a member of the Society of Artists, to whose exhibitions in the Spring Gardens he contributed many years, as will be seen from the following lists extracted from the catalogues. It is to be regretted that at this date it was not the custom to mention in catalogues the names of the persons whose portraits were exhibited, and in consequence of the lapse of time, it is now often impossible to identify them.
In 1777, Wright does not appear to have exhibited at all, but in the next year he commenced to send pictures to the Royal Academy, a practice he continued with some interruptions until 1794.
From the foregoing list of Wright’s contributions to Exhibitions of the Royal Academy, it will be noticed that he did not send any between the years 1782 and 1788. This abstention was caused by his resentment at the conduct of the Academy, in consequence of which he refused the full diploma which the Royal Academy offered to him in 1784.
From the following extract from theAthenæumof January 31st, 1885, it appears that Wright was not the only artist of distinction who at that period had to complain of the treatment of the Council of the Royal Academy.
“In the archives of the Royal Academy is a letter which has special interest. It is a complaint addressed by Gainsborough to the Council of the Academy, about the manner in which his most important contribution to the gathering of 1784 had been treated, being placed in a position, he says, unbecoming its character as a group of Royal portraits, and unjust to himself as a R.A. In the end, with several other works the artist left at the Hanging Committee’s discretion, the picture was withdrawn, so that the Academy gathering of 1784 comprised no Gainsborough.
“The artist abandoned the Academy altogether, and during the four remaining years of his life, he sent no more pictures.”
The doors of the Academy being thus practically closed to Wright, he determined on another plan for bringing his works under public notice. In 1785 he opened an exhibition, composed of twenty-five of his own pictures, at Mr. Robins’s Rooms, Covent Garden, London. This is an early instance of those exhibitions devoted to the compositions of a single artist which have of late become so frequent. In the catalogue of it which we are enabled to reprint, it will be noticed that fifteen out of the twenty-five works exhibited were not for sale.
A
CATALOGUE
OF
PICTURES,
Painted by J. WRIGHT, of Derby,
AndEXHIBITEDat
Mr.Robins’sRooms, (late Langford’s) No. 9, under theGreat Piazza, Covent Garden.
All have their brilliant moments, when aloneThey paint, as if some star propitious shone;Yet then, e’en then the hand but ill conveysThe bolder grace, that in the fancy plays.Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;Lament the soul in error’s thraldom held,Compare life’s span with art’s extensive field;Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,Or perfect practice to that taste be join’d,Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.Mason’sTranslation of Du Fresnoy’s Poem on Painting, verse 695, &c.
All have their brilliant moments, when aloneThey paint, as if some star propitious shone;Yet then, e’en then the hand but ill conveysThe bolder grace, that in the fancy plays.Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;Lament the soul in error’s thraldom held,Compare life’s span with art’s extensive field;Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,Or perfect practice to that taste be join’d,Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.Mason’sTranslation of Du Fresnoy’s Poem on Painting, verse 695, &c.
All have their brilliant moments, when aloneThey paint, as if some star propitious shone;Yet then, e’en then the hand but ill conveysThe bolder grace, that in the fancy plays.Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;Lament the soul in error’s thraldom held,Compare life’s span with art’s extensive field;Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,Or perfect practice to that taste be join’d,Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.Mason’sTranslation of Du Fresnoy’s Poem on Painting, verse 695, &c.
All have their brilliant moments, when alone
They paint, as if some star propitious shone;
Yet then, e’en then the hand but ill conveys
The bolder grace, that in the fancy plays.
Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,
Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;
Lament the soul in error’s thraldom held,
Compare life’s span with art’s extensive field;
Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,
Or perfect practice to that taste be join’d,
Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,
And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.
Mason’sTranslation of Du Fresnoy’s Poem on Painting, verse 695, &c.
1785.
Printed byJ. BARKER, Russell-Court, Drury-Lane.