RESEARCH: Joseph Wright of Derby - Vesuvius in Eruption

Vesuvius in Eruption is one of thirty paintings in a series by Joseph Wright of Derby, it is said that he painted the volcano thirty times from different angles. This one in particular is known as Vesuvius from Portici which is a town in Italy, judging by various other photos the town was set near the volcano and was in danger when the volcano erupted.

Joseph Wright was born 3rd September 1734 until 29th August 1797 when he died. He was known as an English Landscape and portrait painter, he was acclaimed the first professional painter to express the spirit of the industrial revolution. The technique he used to make the painting is referred to as  Chiaroscuro which is a oil painting technique developed in the Renaissance, it uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three dimensional forms, for dramatic effect. This technique works very well when painting an erupting volcano as it is a very dramatic scene.

I like this painting compared to the rest because the focus is entirely on the volcano whereas in his other paintings it may be from far away and off to the side. In this moment he really captured the lighting of the magma as it bursts from the volcano and lights up the night sky.

One of the other paintings he has done

This can be an inspiration to games due to its scenario and realism, there are many routes to take with this, there could be a war of the Gods between Humanity and they are killing them using the earth or it could be similar to Far Cry on a island. It also works well with an animation and VFX using technology to make the eruption and have people below trying to escape would make a eye catching scene.