ILPLuke+Artistic+Response


 * Artistic Response**



Fire. The world was born in it; it has been said it will end in it as well. And for Joseph Wright, he painted it. On display in The Huntington Library and Art Collection in San Marino, CA is Joseph Wright’s //Vesuvius from Portici//. Painted between 1774 and 1776, it is a painting which depicts a glorified Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD, spewing a brilliant white-hot geyser of molten earth into the sky, casting shadows upon the distant yet finely rendered landscape, and by far brighter than the soft moon to the left of the volcano. Even from the distance of many miles where you enter the visual mastery of the painting, Wright has depicted small flecks of glowing ash falling just before the viewer. Amidst the smoking landscape, falling ash, and breathtaking application of chiaroscuro lays the silhouetted town of Pompeii.

The dark tones of the city give it the impression as if it already knows its fate. A few days before, a few people had left town for fear of the unusual tremors in the ground. However, aside from that, everyone in Pompeii from slaves to gladiators, from beggars to priests, were carrying on with their everyday lives. Now, under the electric, alien glow of the erupting volcano, the city must certainly know its fate as well as its inhabitants. One could only imagine the sheer terror that the thousands of people felt.

For those unfortunate enough to have stayed in the city, they had to leave, and quick, if they wanted to survive. Some who hesitated, //procrastinated//, for a few precious seconds to grab a family relic or valuable headpiece were soon trapped or killed by the oncoming waves of toxic gas, hot ash, and deadly debris. Those who thought that the situation was only minor and would eventually be over or were completely overwhelmed by the sudden change, both much like //procrastinators//, sought out shelter and hiding. Trapped in their hiding places under ash and debris, they ultimately died.

John Wright’s Vesuvius from Portici is a stunning painting full of dynamic contrast and incredible comparisons. The eruption’s glow greatly overpowers that of the pale moon to its left, and casts dark shadows from Pompeii’s small silhouette. Albeit an extreme one, it also demonstrates procrastination and how it can kill you. Though not always as serious, procrastination never works out well for anyone.