Liverpool artwork of the day – Tuesday April 3 2007. ‘The Annual Girandola at the Castel Sant’ Angelo, Rome’ 1775-76, Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 – 1797) at The Walker
Well its coming up to Easter so I searched the Walker archives for easter-related pictures and this is one of the better ones it came up with. Far too many photos of kids in bunny outfits searching for eggs or something.
This was painted shortly after Wright returned from a trip to Italy. It was paired with the ‘Eruption of Vesuvius’ painting: ‘the one the greatest effect of Nature, the other of Art that I suppose can be’ he said.
Wright was fascinated all his life with powerful effects of light and made his name painting them. Here the annual Easter firework display in Rome becomes an almost apocalyptic vision of the city.
More about Joseph Wright of Derby