Joseph Wright Keeps Viewers Waiting — for Centuries
Around 1785, a British artist added a touch of suspense to a painting that would otherwise have been simply beautiful.
How many people have paused before this painting and waited a few seconds — in vain — to see the moon rise above that bridge?
Our instinctive reaction is to want to see the moon shift in that evening sky.
On its own, this is a beautiful landscape painting done by British artist Joseph Wright (1734–1797), with its skillful depiction of water and light.
But Wright’s decision to keep the moon tucked forever behind the bridge elevates this and makes it a fascinating painting.
There’s a bit of showmanship in this landscape painting. So it’s fitting that it is part of the collection at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, built with a circus fortune.
John Ringling (1866–1936) was one of the famous brothers behind the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It’s a story for another day about how Ringling built an estate based on Venetian glory on Florida’s Gulf Coast…
