An Academy by Lamplight
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| An Academy by Lamplight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Joseph Wright of Derby |
| Year | 1769 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 127 cm × 101 cm (50 in × 40 in) |
| Location | Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut |
An Academy by Lamplight is a 1769 genre painting by the British artist Joseph Wright of Derby.[1] It features a view of an art academy where a group of students are gathered round an Ancient Roman statue based on a Borghese Nymph with a Shell, studying of sketching. Lit by candlelight, it features the Tenebrism style that Wright used in a number of his paintings from the period. The lifelike statue in the shadows evokes the Pygmalion myth.[2]
Wright of Derby displayed the work at the Exhibition of 1769 held by the Society of Artists in London's Spring Gardens.[3] Today it is in the collection of the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut.[4] A mezzotint based on the painting was produced un 1772 by William Pether.[5]
