Vesuvius from Portici

Fascinated with the destructive power and awesome beauty of Mt. Vesuvius, Joseph Wright sketched the erupting volcano during a visit to Naples in 1774. This painting, however, goes beyond simple documentation. Drawing upon the sublime, an aesthetic concept in which the thrill of danger enhances the experience of pleasure, Wright magnifies the volcano's terrifying mass against the minuscule buildings below. The blast of light created by the eruption is intensified through comparison with the pale glow of the moon, rising through the smoke and clouds at left.