Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.
Virgil's Tomb by Moonlight, with Silius Italicus Declaiming
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) · 1779
- Artist
- Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) British, Derby 1734–1797 Derby
- Date
- 1779
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127 cm)
- Where to see it
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, Gifts of Mrs. William M. Haupt, Josephine Bay Paul, and Estate of George Quackenbush, in his memory, by exchange, The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund Gift, and funds from various donors, 2013 · CC0 Public Domain · The Met · see it at the museum ↗
Slow Look
- The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
- The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
- The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
- One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
- The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?
What do you see?
Stand in front of it for a moment. Then tell us what you noticed or felt - there are no wrong answers.
Be the first to share a thought.
If you like this, stand in front of these
Two Men Contemplating the MoonCaspar David Friedrich, ca. 1825–30
The Beach at Sainte-AdresseClaude Monet, 1867
The Herring NetWinslow Homer, 1885
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, ItalyJohn Singer Sargent, 1907
Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for FishJoseph Mallord William Turner, 1837–38
Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1887–88
At Mouquin'sWilliam James Glackens, 1905
The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)John Philip Simpson, 1827