Another classical painter, to match the French Ingres - the British Joseph Wright of Derby, a great painter of the 18th century.
Let's begin with one of Derby's famous pieces, "The alchemist in search of the philosopher's stone", embodying the entire myths and legends surrounding the figure of the alchemist and the famed "stone". People might however be disappointed to learn that the actual and proper title to this piece is "The alchemist discovering phosporus", and that it is not as fantastical or imaginary as one would believe: it is actually an historical piece, depicting the German alchemist Hennig Brand discovering phosporus.
Next piece: The Lady in Milton's Comus. In my previous post I talked about the Orlando Furioso - here, is another forgotten name of my list, the play (well, a masque) Comus by Milton. Yes, the same Milton who created the Luciferian epic "Paradise Lost". Comus is the second most famous work of Milton right after Paradise Lost, and it has very Shakespearian tones, as a Lady and her two brothers, wandering through the woods, kept separated - the Lady becomes the prisoner of Comus, a perverse sorcerer and spirit of debauchery trying to rally the Lady to his sins, while her brothers are helped by an angelic spirit in their quest for their lost sister...
Speaking of Shakespeare, here is Derby's take on the Bard: Romeo and Juliet, the Tomb Scene.
This time a subject from the Odyssey: Penelope Unraveling her Web.
And finally, a subject taken from a Persian tale: Miravan breaking open the tomb of his ancestors.
