Wright, Joseph

Wright, Joseph

(1756–93) painter, dies-inker; born in Borderstown, N.J. He studied in London (c. 1772), returning to settle in Philadelphia (1782). He painted portraits, notably of George Washington (1783), who appointed him first draftsman and dies-inker of the United States mint (1792).

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Wright, Joseph

 

(also known as Joseph Wright of Derby). Born Sept. 3, 1734, in Derby; died there Aug. 29, 1797. English preromantic painter.

Wright studied in London in the 1750’s and traveled in Italy from 1773 to 1775. He worked primarily in Derby. Wright was a pioneer in the artistic treatment of themes dealing with the industrial revolution. He often depicted scientific experiments and people at work. Under the influence of the Dutch followers of Caravaggio, Wright created dramatic effects of illumination at night. His works include The Air Pump (1768, Tate Gallery, London) and The Blacksmith (1773, Hermitage, Leningrad).

REFERENCE

Nicolson, B. Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light, vols. 1–2. [New York] 1968.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.