Landscape with Cedars and Buildings (Smaller Italian Sketchbook, leaf 24 recto)

Art Historical Context

Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), celebrated for his dramatic candlelit scenes and early depictions of the Industrial Revolution, ventured to Italy from 1773 to 1775 as part of the Grand Tour tradition. *Landscape with Cedars and* (1774–75), from his Smaller Italian Sketchbook (leaf24 recto), captures rugged beauty of the Italian countryside. Towering cedars frame distant buildings under a vast sky, reflecting Wright's keen eye for natural light and atmospheric depth during his travels through Naples and beyond. Executed on a modest 9 3/16 x 6 3/4-inch sheet, this drawing employs graphite underdrawing heightened by pen and ink, with subtle gray and yellow washes—likely watercolor—for tonal modeling. This mixed-media technique allowed Wright to swiftly record fleeting landscapes on location, blending precise linework with fluid color to evoke volume and mood. Such sketches were vital to his preparatory process, informing the luminous oil paintings that bridged Rococo elegance and emerging Romanticism. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Rogers Fund, 1957), this intimate study offers a rare glimpse into Wright's on-the-spot artistry, showcasing how his Italian sojourn enriched his innovative approach to light and nature back in England.

About the Artist

Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) · 1734–1797

Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797) was an English painter celebrated for his dramatic use of candlelight and artificial illumination, which earned him a unique position in eighteenth-century British art as the painter of the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. Born in Derby in the English Midlands, he studied in London under Thomas Hudson, a leading portrait painter, before returning to D...