Vesuvius in Eruption, with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples

Vesuvius in Eruption with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples was inspired by Wright's witnessing of volcanic activity during his Italian visit of 1774, one of the defining experiences of his career. The eruption of Vesuvius on the night of October 11, 1774 was witnessed by Wright from across the Bay of Naples, and the spectacle transformed his understanding of what natural light effects could achieve in art. He went on to paint approximately thirty versions of the volcanic subject over the following decades, each exploring different atmospheric conditions, viewpoints, and light effects. For Wright, Vesuvius was the ultimate subject: it combined the dramatic artificial illumination that had been his preoccupation since the 1760s with the geological grandeur of the Italian landscape and the Romantic sublime of destructive natural force. The eruption provided an orange glow that could be set against moonlight, stars, and the reflection on the bay to create a full vocabulary of natural light effects. These volcanic paintings were enormously popular with British collectors, who could not themselves witness such spectacles, and secured Wright's reputation as the most technically adventurous landscape painter working in England in the 1770s and 1780s.

The volcanic scene demonstrates Wright's unmatched ability to render dramatic light effects, with the orange glow of eruption reflected across the bay and contrasting with the cool moonlight.