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"A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery" | a departure from Bible Fanfiction and a venture into Science Fiction

Featuring: Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery (in which a lamp is put in place of the sun), c. 1763-65, oil on canvas, 4' 10" x 6' 8" (Derby Museums and Art Gallery, Derby)

By Liv AttersonPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery (Khan Academy)

The word “art” can encompass many things. If you are an academic or a “Renaissance Man/Women” then when you hear the word “art” or “the arts” you may think of the theater, literature, painting and sculpture, classical music etc. For art majors or art history majors it may be a little more in-depth than what subject you are discussing and the beautiful dresses. But I will admit that I do love admiring the dresses also, whether it be in paintings, theater or dance.

While many people see art as just painting brush strokes on a canvas or the greats such as Michelangelo, da Vinci, or Raphael and the Renaissance era, the Baroque period, a term that is suspected to derive from the Portuguese word for an odd shaped pearl. An era that propelled society forward in scientific advancements and ways of thinking was The Age of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment focuses on critical thinking and the world and about men and women, independently of religion, myth, or tradition (Kleiner, 779).

With the Enlightenment focusing on rational thought, looking at previous believed notions with more of a critical view and questioning how the world really works. Physicist, mathematician, and astronomer, etc, Isaac Newton and John Locke were an important part of the Enlightenment. According to Locke’s “doctrine of empiricism,” knowledge comes through sensory perception of the material world (Kleiner 779). The textbook goes on to talk about how from these perceptions alone, people form ideas. Newton and Locke also inspired (what the textbook calls French intellectuals) or as we would call them philosophes. It was these thinkers that believed that the rot of humanity, the ill limbs could be cured by applying reasoning and logic and common sense to human problems. With the Enlightenment focusing on scientific discoveries and the advantage of technology, many artist found their work to be influenced by it or documenting the revolutionary acts and inventions coming to life before their very eyes. The Enlightenment gave way to the Industrial Revolution, in which steam power and combustion were used rather than human and animal labor or the research into the game-changer that was electricity. Joseph Wright of Derby, born 1734, began for more or less of a better term “documenting” this change. One of Wright’s paintings A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery is not only a beautiful painting but one that holds much to discuss and think about, it allows you to dig into the meaning and ideas and what Wright was thinking about when working on such a piece. Wright’s painting encapsulates in one moment the Enlightenment, a philosophical shift in the eighteenth century away from traditional religious models of the universe and toward an empirical, scientific approach. It is important to note the term given this new way of thinking. “Enlightenment” indicates an active process, undertaken by an individual by group (Fox, smarthistory.org).

Wonder and amazement and curiosity are in the eyes of the people as they huddle around an unknown machine in Wright painting. One is shielding his eyes from the bright light with a shadow striking across his mouth, two young boys are arm-in-arm, binding over the side of the unknown contraption gazing with wonder. A little girl leaning on the edge, looking down into the Orrery, at the make-shift planets while one man takes tedious notes and the Philosopher glares at the note-taker.

The age of Enlightenment is most closely associated with scientists and inventors, but writers and artists also played major roles. They helped spread enlightenment concepts via written word and printed image, and inspired others to think rationally about the world in which they lived. The provincial English painter Joseph Wright of Derby became the unofficial artist of the Enlightenment, depicting scientists and philosophers in ways previously reserved for Biblical heroes and Greek gods (Khan).

The Age of Enlightenment was not only monumental for the art world but the world as a whole. It brought about new technological advances, a new way of thinking and viewing the world, the art saw a new subject to focus on. Where the Renaissance saw biblical fanfiction, the Enlightenment was a leap into the realm of Science Fiction an exploration into what was yet to happen and the possibilities that it held.

Work Cited

Kleiner, Fred S. “Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History”, sixteenth ed., Cengage, 2020, pp. 779–779.

Khan Academy, “ Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery,” Khan Academy, accessed January 31, 2021,

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/wright-of-derby-a-philosopher-lecturing-on-the-orrery

Dr. Abram Fox, "Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery," in Smarthistory, January 8, 2016, accessed January 31, 2021,

https://smarthistory.org/joseph-wright-of-derby-a-philosopher-giving-a-lecture-at-the-orrery/

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Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to support my work, please consider leaving a tip, supporting me on ko-fi or sharing this piece with your friends and family. Any and all support is highly appreciated! You can also view my profile on here.

—liv atterson

Liv Atterson is an Indiana based writer, where she is currently finishing a General Studies Degree and plans to continue to get her Bachelor’s in English and Art History. She is an avid believer that you can never own too many books just too few shelves. When she is not reading or writing she can be found studying and drinking her body weight in tea of coffee. She is currently working on her debut book.

For more content, follow her on Instagram @livdrinkstea, and view her blog.

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About the Creator

Liv Atterson

on hiatus

Liv Atterson is a fiction writer, living in Indiana, with her cat, and ever-growing collection of books.

She plans to someday move to Washington State and work in a bookstore.

pronouns: she/her/hers

🔗 https://writtenbyliv.com

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