William Bemrose

“ By his kindness I am allowed here to aid in doing justice to an artist of whom not only Derby, but England, should be proud.
Even if such a feat were possible, I should have no wish to compare accurately the merits of Wright with those of his forerunners and contemporaries. It will, however, be generally acknowledged that between such names as Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Wilson, and such as West, Northcote, Barry, and Hamilton, there is a gap—sensibly to be felt. In this gap, but nearer to the greater than to the lesser men, a place has of late years been found for Romney. ”

“ Many men of celebrity, not only local, he painted—Arkwright and Whitehurst, Darwin and Strutt; but the charm of his portraits does not depend on the fame of the sitter, but on the power of the artist to seize a distinct individuality, and to make each likeness for ever interesting as an authentic image of a fellow-man. Unsophisticated by fashion or affectation, Wright’s portraits are history in its simplest and truest form.
Of the pure charm of his children, some of the illustrations to this volume, especially Mr. Seymour Haden’s painter-like etching of the “Twins,” will speak. ”

“ For Miss Nancy Wright, at Mr. Hurleston’s in Cary Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, England.
“What havock, my dear Nancy, does a little time make in the small circle of one’s acquaintance, and how weak and tottering is the basis on which human happiness is founded. Poor Mrs. Van! I left her a happy wife, smiling amidst a joyous family, but now, by one fatal stroke, suddenly involved in bitter calamity, in deep affliction, a sad disconsolate widow. I hope to God Mr. Van has left her so circumstanced that she will feel no additional sorrow on that consideration. ”

“ It has been the custom to view Wright only as a painter of artificial light, and for picture dealers and some others to attribute all unknown pictures of fire in any form to “Wright of Derby.” We ourselves have seen many so attributed, which would not add fame to any painter’s name. The Exhibition of Wright’s Works in the Derby Corporation Art Gallery, in 1883, tended to dispel this unfounded illusion as to the limits of Wright’s art. ”

“ The inimitable Wright, of Derby, once expressed an ardent desire to be admitted a member of the Academy, but from what unaccountable reason his wishes were frustrated remains as yet a secret to the world; but the sagacious, or, rather, the envious brethren of the brush thought proper to thrust so eminent an artist on one side to make way for so contemptible an animal as Edmund Garbage (Garvey) . ”

“ The amiable artist, with that warm benevolence which formed a striking part of his character, went beyond the request of his old friend, and being more and more pleased with the intelligence, spirit, and docility of his little visitor, spontaneously bestowed on him such repeated instructions, as perfectly awakened in him a passion and a genius for art, which, being afterwards inspirited by the affectionate encouragement of his father, of Romney, and of Flaxman, ultimately changed his very early professional destination from medicine to sculpture. ”

“ With these notices of the death of Wright, and the subsequent sale of his pictures, my task is ended.
As the materials at my command have enabled me, I have striven to present a faithful record of his artistic and private life. As an artist, his genius was recognised in his own day; and it is satisfactory to know that his industrious pencil provided an ample income, and enabled him to realise a very sufficient competence for the years when age and infirmity grew upon him. But there were drawbacks to his attainment of greater fame and honours. ”

“ Wright, however, appears to have soon become dissatisfied with the subjects which Hudson gave him to copy, which, if we may judge from the studies of this period still existing—stiff, formal portraits in black and white chalk upon blue paper—was not to be wondered at; amongst them is a spirited resemblance of himself, and it is thought probable that the artist, tired of such copying, amused himself by studying from nature. ”

“ I have now been five months without exercising my pencil, and without a hope that I shall again resume it. I seem to have outlived my art, a reflection, tho’ in no way favourable to the restoration of my health, will continually obtrude itself upon me.
“I am glad to hear my good friend has laid hold of his brushes again. Paper and camel hair pencils are better adapted to the amusement of ladies than the pursuit of an artist. ”

“ The faces are wonderfully soft, but they want those beautiful turns & spirited touches we see in nature, & which keeps high-finished pictures from looking heavy. The flesh is finely coloured, is very clear, and has a sanguine appearance that is very pleasing, but withal not so true as Titian’s Venus. The draperies are neither very finely set nor painted, nor had Correggio the finest eye for shapes; yet after all the whole together is wonderfully sweet, & one cannot help being charmed with the effect. Romney only painted the Magdalen’s head, the picture answered not his expectations ”

“ When I consider the immense size of the whole, and the beauty of the parts, I cannot help reflecting how trifling and insignificant are the present operations of mankind; we are no better than infants, and ought to wear daiding strings. I have no time to enter into a particular detail of the fine things this country abounds with; let it suffice to tell you at present, that the artist finds here whatever may facilitate and improve his studies. ”

“ An attorney of Derby, speaking of “Equity Wright,” some years after his death, said, “he might have died very rich, had he acted like the generality of his profession.” There can be no doubt that he was a thoroughly good lawyer, for on more than one occasion, when he waited on the celebrated Sir Eardley Wilmot, of Osmaston, for an opinion, Sir Eardley said to him, “You are come to throw away a guinea with me, Mr. Wright, for you know the law as well as I do.” ”

“ The drawing and composition is satisfactory, and there is a great contrast in the expression and the varied attitudes of the several heads. The flesh of the faces is good in colour, and most carefully modelled; indeed the young woman on the right, in blue, and the lad drawing down a curtain to shut out the moonlight on the left, are worth special observation for this quality. The draperies are all carefully painted from nature (a merit apparent also in most of Wright’s portraits) , and are in this respect very different from the sloppy negligence of some of the followers of Reynolds. ”

“ With the richest Monarch in Europe for their patron, the arts of England are literally kept from destruction by the votive shillings of a motley public, who pay the salaries of the professors, and find oil for the lamps in the plaister and living schools, though the King arrogates the character of being the high supporter of the system. ”

“ Moss Tate, of Liverpool, told a gentleman who called upon him early in this century to see some paintings by Wright in his possession, that “he was always pleased to see a Derbyshire man, for that county had produced three most eminent men in the sister arts—Chantrey, the sculptor, Wright, the painter, and John Harrison, the singer.”
It is seldom that a better opportunity is found of obtaining a clear insight into the working and every-day life of an artist, than that afforded by the material collected for the present volume. ”

“ Wright has represented a view of the extensive scenery, combined with the action on the 13th Sept., 1782, in which his design is sublime, and his colouring natural and brilliant beyond description. We never remember to have seen shadows painted so little like substance as those in the foreground, which gain great strength and richness from the prodigious brightness of the grand explosion at a distance ”

“ The father had built in the Friar Gate a house of some architectural pretensions, his chef-d’œuvre, people said. The sons had divided it. He occupied the smaller portion, entered by a side door, much as it had come from the builder’s hands. The only pretty thing in his sitting room was a charming picture by Wright, of Pickford and his brother playing with a spaniel, of the date 1775, I should think, and in the gay costume of that period. It passed into the hands of a branch of the Curzon family. When I called on Pickford it was a caution to see what a beautiful child might come to. ”

“ If the picture answers to its character, I shall make a copy of it, it will improve me; and if I choose to sell it, it will be advantageous. When I have finished at Parma, we shall go to Venice to study Titian’s colouring. These engagements will detain me in Italy the hot weather, and to return to England in the cold will not be advisable for me. If I can get over the Alps before the snow falls, and pass the winter advantageously at Bordeaux, in the south of France, it will, I believe, be the best scheme for my health. ”

“ It would be unpardonable to leave Derby without noticing the celebrated artist, Mr. Wright, who has resided several years in a house [27] facing the New Inn, overgrown with ivy, which, together with its high walls, proclaims an habitation sacred to study and retirement. The result of his labours are always open to the inspection of the stranger, an indulgence characteristic of this gentleman’s well-known affability ”

“ His genius afterwards turned to drawing and painting; if he saw a person once he would draw the outlines of his face so strong as to be known at sight; making great progress in those branches, he was determined to pursue those studies for his profession; accordingly his father, an Attorney-at-Law, enquired of his agents in London, who were the most eminent masters, and upon enquiry he was recommended to Mr. Hudson. ”

“ There are men who are interesting from their associations, but whom no associations can redeem. Such was Joseph Pickford. I first became acquainted with his figure and circumstances at Derby, in 1815. His father had been an architect and builder, and the intimate friend of Wright the painter, remarkable for his illustrations of the varieties of light and their effects ”

“ A day or two before the time appointed for my introduction to the Pope, he was taken with an indisposition, which in a short time robb’d him of his life and me of my honours.... Remember me with respect to all my friends; when you see Whitehurst, [18] tell him [35] I wished for his company when on Mount Vesuvius, his thoughts would have center’d in the bowels of the mountain, mine skimmed over the surface only; there was a very considerable eruption at the time, of which I am going to make a picture. ’Tis the most wonderful sight in nature. ”

“ There is a family tradition that Wright injured his health by over-work when in Rome, and that, for greater ease when working these drawings, he lay upon his back on the cold floor of the Sistine Chapel, and contracted an affection of the liver, which, as years went on, caused him much pain, and prevented him from following his profession for months at a time. On comparing these sketches with various of his pictures, the influence of Michael Angelo upon Wright, especially in design, is evident ”

“ Philips has more claim to credence than the opinions of writers a century later, founded upon such purely negative evidence.
The Messrs. Redgrave also state that “he then (when offered the full diploma) refused to comply with the law of the Academy, which requires a member to present one of his works to the Academy before receiving his diploma, and required his name to be removed from the list of Associates.” As Wright declined the proffered honour, it was not necessary for him to “comply with the law of the Academy, and present one of his works.” ”

“ Garvey was a successful candidate, did not [58] tend to increase his opinion of the liberality of his brethren in the profession. The Academy, however, being afterwards made aware of the impropriety of thus insulting a man of his abilities, deputed their Secretary, Newton, to Derby, to solicit his acceptance of a diploma, which he indignantly rejected, knowing how little the institution could serve him, and feeling perhaps a satisfaction that his friend Mortimer and himself were both deemed equally unqualified to enjoy the honours attached to that Royal establishment. ”

“ The Antique remains of Art, as I said before, are wonderful. The natural scenes are beautiful and uncommon, with an atmosphere so pure and clear, that objects twenty miles distant seem not half the way. ”

“ It had been Hayley’s first intention to educate his son for the profession of physic, but many circumstances combined to give him a strong inclination for that of the arts. During a visit to Mrs. Hayley, Wright, of Derby, perceived in him so much aptitude for painting, that he took pains in instructing him ”

“ The doors of the Academy being thus practically closed to Wright, he determined on another plan for bringing his works under public notice. In 1785 he opened an exhibition, composed of twenty-five of his own pictures, at Mr. Robins’s Rooms, Covent Garden, London. This is an early instance of those exhibitions devoted to the compositions of a single artist which have of late become so frequent. In the catalogue of it which we are enabled to reprint, it will be noticed that fifteen out of the twenty-five works exhibited were not for sale. ”