London's National Gallery is currently hosting an exceptional exhibition that brings together two of the most significant paintings about science in British art history. Wright of Derby: From the Shadows showcases Joseph Wright's masterful works that capture the awe of scientific discovery during the Age of Enlightenment.
A Revolutionary Vision of Science and Light
The exhibition features Wright's celebrated paintings A Philosopher Giving That Lecture on the Orrery and An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, created between 1764 and 1766. These remarkable works demonstrate Wright's pioneering use of light and shadow to dramatise scientific demonstrations, showing audiences utterly transfixed by new discoveries.
What makes this show particularly noteworthy is the rare opportunity to see these two masterpieces displayed together. The National Gallery describes it as a small but luminous show that highlights Wright's unique contribution to British art through his dramatic chiaroscuro technique.
Beyond Wright: London's Vibrant Art Scene
While Wright's exhibition shines at the National Gallery until 10 May, London's art landscape offers several other compelling shows this season. At Annely Juda, David Hockney continues his prolific output with fresh works created since his successful Paris exhibition opened earlier this year. This display runs until 28 February.
Meanwhile, the David Zwirner Gallery presents an astonishing collection of Diane Arbus photographs until 20 December. The exhibition features the haunting and sometimes upsetting portraits that established Arbus as a dark genius of photography.
European Roots of Darkness and Light
Wright's innovative treatment of light and shadow didn't emerge in isolation. As the National Gallery show reveals, his work connects to a longer European tradition of artists exploring darkness. A particularly striking example in the collection is Interior of a Church at Night from 1632, attributed to an imitator of Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger.
This Dutch masterpiece demonstrates how seventeenth-century artists were already deeply fascinated by darkness. The painting creates a mysterious atmosphere by contrasting brightly lit public spaces with shadowy, less-visited areas of the church where fears and phantoms might dwell.
This Week's Must-See Art Events
Beyond London, several other significant exhibitions are capturing attention across the UK. The Baltic in Gateshead presents films by Uzbek artist Saodat Ismailova exploring the end of the Soviet Union, running from 8 November to 7 June.
Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery hosts the first posthumous exhibition of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. The artist sadly passed away while the exhibition was being planned, making this showing particularly poignant. It continues until 1 February.
Meanwhile, in a lighter artistic moment, performance artist Carl Brandi has become a surprise hit at Düsseldorf's Kunstpalast museum with his Grumpy guided tours. For just €7, visitors can experience 70 minutes of being berated by his character Joseph Langelinck about their general art ignorance.
