Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–1797, British, active in Italy (1773–75)
Title:
The Blacksmith's Shop
Date:
1771
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
50 1/2 x 41 inches (128.3 x 104.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.712
Gallery Label:
In the early 1770s, Wright produced a series of dramatic paintings that explored the subject of a blacksmith’s forge at night. This canvas’s scene is populated by three groups: those who wait, those who watch, and those who work. At center, the smiths work on a horseshoe, casting sparks into the eyes of a child who turns away, shielding his face. To convey the sparks’ glow, Wright laid silver leaf into the paint. Lavishing a quotidian subject with such detail and sophistication challenged the academy’s privileging of heroic scenes from history and mythology. In this light, the figure in the foreground might be read as contemplating the power of artifice, whether that of the artist or the smiths. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025
