John Milnes 1776

Editor: This is "John Milnes," painted in 1776 by Joseph Wright of Derby. It's an oil on canvas portrait, and the first thing that strikes me is how the figure seems both elegant and a little lost in this expansive landscape. What story do you think Wright is trying to tell? Curator: Ah, yes! Doesn't it just feel like a pivotal scene from a Jane Austen novel? Milnes is striking a rather contemplative pose there. He's literally rooted to the spot. I wonder if it's meant to evoke the landed gentry's connection to the earth? What’s going on in Milnes' mind, I wonder, gazing over the family estates perhaps? Or perhaps, he's pining after a lost love! Editor: I didn’t think about that... his pose does have a certain romantic sensibility about it. And the vast landscape amplifies that feeling of isolation perhaps. It also feels quite different from the industrial scenes Wright is known for. Curator: Absolutely. This painting hints at something more subdued, more personal for Wright himself, wouldn’t you say? Consider this: what if Wright were using Milnes to explore a quieter contemplation of nature? Perhaps responding to the early stirrings of Romanticism against the backdrop of classicism and realism. Editor: I guess I'd always just thought of the landscapes as a backdrop to showcase the figure’s status. It never occurred to me to see the two in dialogue. Thanks to you I see something very new here! Curator: Art is all about new experiences and discoveries; like that time I went bird watching in the Yorkshire Dales and mistook a rather proud pheasant for an exotic specimen. Life's all in the fun, so as is the same with this painting and portraiture alike.