| Joseph Wright of Derby’s Air Pump | |
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Origin |
Joseph Wright of Derby |
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Type |
Air Pump |
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Effects |
Transforms light trapped inside into liquid that changes the brightness of any surface |
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Downsides |
Deprives contained area of air |
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Activation |
Light Source |
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Section |
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Origin[]
Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution".
Wright is notable for his use of tenebrism, an exaggerated form of the better known chiaroscuro effect, which emphasizes the contrast of light and dark, and for his paintings of candle-lit subjects. His paintings of the birth of science out of alchemy, often based on the meetings of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, a group of scientists and industrialists living in the English Midlands, are a significant record of the struggle of science against religious values in the period known as the Age of Enlightenment.
An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is a 1768 oil-on-canvas painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, one of a number of candlelit scenes that Wright painted during the 1760s. The painting departed from convention of the time by depicting a scientific subject in the reverential manner formerly reserved for scenes of historical or religious significance. The painting depicts a natural philosopher, a forerunner of the modern scientist, recreating one of Robert Boyle's air pump experiments, in which a bird is deprived of air, before a varied group of onlookers. The group exhibits a variety of reactions, such as grief, disbelief and dismay, but for most of the audience scientific curiosity overcomes concern for the bird. The central figure looks out of the picture as if inviting the viewer's participation in the outcome.
The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby originally completed in 1771 then reworked in 1795. It has been suggested that The Alchymist refers to the discovery of phosphorus by the Hamburg alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669. This story was often printed in popular chemical books in Wright's lifetime, and was widely known. The picture shows the alchemist trying to produce the elusive Philosopher's stone, which could turn ordinary metal into gold, but instead, to his amazement, he discovers phosphorus. However, Wright does not picture the alchemist in a 17th-century background, but he romanticizes the room by imagining medieval gothic arches and high, pointed windows as if he is in a church. He also gave a very favorable impression of the actual process, which involves the reduction by boiling of urine. A 1730 description of the manufacture of phosphorus described the need for 50 or 60 pails of urine that was both putrid and "bred worms".
Effects[]
Turns light into a thick, viscous liquid. Applying it to areas either lightens or darkens the space accordingly. Brightness will change instead of color, making contrasts more vibrant. Items brought out into complete daylight can appear made of darkness when shaded enough. Causes the surrounding area the size of a small parlor room or laboratory to have all air extinguished, rendering volatiles gases inert. The lack of oxygen works well as a preservative but is a danger to any living creature nearby.