Who painted “An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump”?

“An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump” was painted by Joseph Wright of Derby in 1768. Where to see it: National Gallery.

Romanticism

What to look for

Joseph Wright of Derby: scenes lit by a single candle or lamp, glowing faces in the dark, science and industry as drama.

Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English painter who specialised in portrait painting and landscape art. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wikipedia

Test yourself: a round on Joseph Wright of Derby

More by Joseph Wright of Derby

“A Journalist Lecturing on the Orrery”, 1766
“The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus”, 1771
“Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight”, 1769
“Romeo and Juliet: the Tomb Scene”, 1790
“Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator by Candlelight”, 1765
“The Captive King”, 1772
“Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent”, 1773
“Indian Widow”, 1785