Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–1797, British, active in Italy (1773–75)
Title:
Matlock Tor by Moonlight
Date:
between 1777 and 1780
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
25 × 30 inches (63.5 × 76.2 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1976.7.177
Gallery Label:
Joseph Wright of Derby returned from his period of study in Italy (1773–75) with a new appreciation of landscape, both that of Italy, which he continued to make his subject for the rest of his life, and that of Britain, particularly his native Derbyshire. This painting is one of Wright’s earliest pictorial explorations of the dramatic landscape of his home county. Like so many of his paintings, it focuses on the meticulous observation of a particular effect of light. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016