An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Résumé du document

Réalisation d'une analyse d'image sur l'oeuvre "An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump" de Joseph Wright of Derby (peinture à l'huile)

Extraits

[...] This scene really shows that science could and can always be used both good and evil The science can be seen with suspense because we still don't know if the bird is alive or dead Conclusion : This big painting (183 x 244 composed of many details, is a masterpiece where art and science meet to create a dark scene which reflects the mentality of the English society during the 18[th] century and especially during the industrial revolution. [...]

[...] The 2 sisters seem very afraid and horrified by what they see : one of them is covering her eyes and the other pulls on her sister's dress to seek comfort. They don't want to see the bird die The man behind them seems to be their father because he has a hand on the shoulder of one of them. But we don't know if he wants to reassure them or to force them to watch because he points to the bird like they have to see what will happen. [...]

[...] And it is more particularly in 1768 that he painted one of his masterpieces " An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump The scene takes place on a moonlit night in a darkened room, a company of amateurs and friends gather to witness an experiment with a bird in a sort of jar connected to a pump in which the scientist will empty. It is an experiment to analyze the behavior of the bird when the air is scarce. How did the painter manage to make collide the two fascinating worlds of art and science? [...]

[...] The light : the projector of different mentalities A Melo-dramatic effect created Candlelight technic : only one source of light in the middle of the image for all the room A thing in the jar with the candle, a biological specimen in a fluid liquid preserving, maybe a skull? Moonlight through the window : a reference to the lunar society ( many of Joseph's friends and patrons were members of it) and adds mystery and darkness to the scene Chiaroscuro effect : enlighten the faces of the people in the room that is to say on only the important things like the experiment. Darkness everywhere but the middle to emphasize on the contrast. [...]

[...] The eye contact of the scientist : it looks like he's asking us a question "should I open the valve and let the bird breathes or should I let him die?" and that is the big question and it is our duty to answer it: progress of science or morality and anti-cruelty? Moreover, his right-hand points a finger at us as if he let us decide and ask us our opinion Human-animal bond The bird is a white cockatoo : a rare and expensive species The painting reflects an increasingly passionate debate over animal experimentation which had built up during the 18[th] century It looks like there is 3 categories of people : those who don't care about the fate of the bird like the couple, those who don't agree to use animals in experimentation like the little girls and finally those who are neutral and think they have to use someone to test so, unfortunately, it's on animals. [...]