Wright of Derby Exhibition Opens at the Uffizi

A display of oil paintings by an artist known as Wright of Derby will be opening at the Uffizi Gallery on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.  It will focus on the works of Joseph Wright (1734 – 1797) of Darby, England, who specialized in landscapes and portraits, also depicting the newly-inaugurated Industrial Age.  Wright is known for his use of chiaroscuro (light and shadow) to create contrast in a painting, a technique characteristic of Italian Renaissance and Baroque artists, most evident in Wright’s works of scenes by candlelight.  The artist was also a pupil of and assistant to Thomas Hudson, the mentor of Joshua Reynolds (1723 – 1792), the leading English portrait painter of the 18th century. The Uffizi show, located in Room 38, will run until January 24, 2021.  (rosanna cirigliano)