Monday 1 April 2013

Olphaert den Otter / Joseph Wright of Derby


Joseph Wright of Derby
An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump
1768
oil on canvas
183 x 244 cm


Long has been thought that the vacuum could not exist. God had created everything from nothing. Besides the creation, the existence of a not was unthinkable. The vacuum would be a critical note in His omnipotence. Impossible! Until the invention of the vacuum pump showed that the vacuum was just men's work.
"An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump" by Joseph Wright of Derby from 1768 captures a great moment. The scientist, with almost priestly features, will soon save the cockatoo's life by removing the vacuum in which it is located. So he plays for God. Everyone in the company responds to the dramatic event in a manner consistent with his or her character or stage of life. And the viewer experiences the birth of the secular religion of science. This painting exemplifies the ability of telling a great story in all its nuances within an image.

I add my own work "Paolo e Francesca".
Olphaert den Otter, 2013



 

Olphaert den Otter  (NL)
Paolo e Francesca
2012
egg tempera on canvas / panel
50 x 81 cm
www.olphaertdenotter.nl



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