My Kid Could Paint That

Joseph Wright of Derby, The Iron Forge, 1772

In 1772, in the middle of the First Industrial Revolution, Joseph Wright painted The Iron Forge, one in a series of five paintings in this particular setting. The Iron Forge was contemporary, innovative, and anything but gaudy. This industrial scene exemplifies the change in Britain, pulling the focus from the aristocracy to the working class. Despite the modernity of the painting, Wright’s style appears remnant from a different time. The Iron Forge bears striking resemblance to Caravaggio, with the strong contrasts between light and dark and the austerity of the space. The glowing piece of iron in almost the direct center illuminates the painting with a warm light, yet the effect is ominous. The iron creates a glowing circle of light, illuminating the family in the back and the two men whose fronts we cannot see – the man holding the iron and a mystery man in red with a miserable-looking child on his knee. The utilization of space reminds me of The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio.

The circle of men at the table and the circle made by the family, the worker, and the glowing iron take up similar space in the paintings. Then there are the subjects in the shadows, Jesus Christ and Saint Peter in Calling of Saint Matthew and the mystery man in The Iron Forge. Both paintings have a heightened sense of drama and urgency. In Saint Matthew, the story makes it dramatic. In Iron Forge, it is the setting that creates the sense of power and danger. For an unconventional painting, maybe Wright’s style didn’t stray too far from tradition after all.

Technological Effects on Society
Curated by Austin Krause

Joseph Wright, The Iron Forge, 1772

Joseph Wright of Derby was one of the first artist that I truly took time to study, and he quickly become one of my favorites. Everything about the way he painted the Enlightenment made him stand out in a more unique way. Not only did he paint about the Enlightenment like most artists of his time, but he did not always portray it in a positive way. In most of his paintings, there are two light sources: Religion and Knowledge. In between the two light sources is darkness which seems to compress the light of knowledge while allowing the light from nature/religion to flow freely through it.

When observing his painting The Iron Forge, it can be seen that the new knowledge of his time produces a glow that is beginning to overpower the second light source in the painting, the moon. The moon is what symbolizes religion, through nature. It represents the idea of God creating the earth for what it is and how it is. But without saying that that statement is false, it shows that the effect that technology and knowledge have on society is proving to be the more reasonable way of thinking as people start to realize: “Hey, that sounds like it makes more sense!”