The Classical Era had a very fascinating aspect about it, and that had to do with the concept of enlightenment. The urge for science and art during this period was strong. The art and music of this time frame showed that, and it inspired anyone who viewed or listened to a masterpiece of this time frame. One of the most influential people during this time was a physicist by the name of Sir Isaac Newton. He developed the three laws of motion that we are all so familiar with. The urge for science and new discoveries in this field was very prominent due to Newtons breakthrough. I’m not gonna go in depth about the physics or laws themselves because this is an art class and the Classical period wasn’t all about science. The art and music of this time period was beautiful in its own way.
A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery
Joseph Wright of Derby (1765)
Image from Khan Academy
This painting shows the wonder of the time; the wonder of science and new discoveries. The two children look fascinated as they look and study the machine, as the others stand around the machine with a frustrated look thinking long and hard or just taking notes on the studies. The subject matter of this painting not only shows the urge for scientific discoveries in this era but also the beauty of this painting is something on it’s own. The shadows of the machines and the faces are what really draw me in.
Apparently I’m really intrigued by Joseph Wright of Derby as this next piece also demonstrates the knowledge and curiosity during this time period.
An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump
Joseph Wright of Derby (1768)
Image from The National Gallery
This painting has a lot of the same aspects as the previous painting because it is my the same artist. Both of these paintings go perfectly with the theme I set forward and they apply perfectly with this time period in a sense of art but also science. The wonder on the faces on what is going on is amazing. The painting shows a scientist preforming an experiment on a white cockatoo sucking out the oxygen; essentially depriving the bird of oxygen. I’m hoping the bird was reprieved, but there isn’t really a way of knowing unless we were to ask the artist himself. The lighting is beautiful, as it is lit by the single candle and I fell it makes the painting that much more dramatic and influential. This would inspire me to want to study some kind of science during the time; I’m sure as it did for many other people.
The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorous
Joseph Wright of Derby (1771)
Image from The Wikipedia Commons
This painting also shows the array of science going on in this period. It shows an old man otherwise known as the Alchemist; who seems to have discovered something based on his look and stance. You could determine this without the time in this case. It almost looks as if the people in the back don’t really know what is going on, yet the scientist knows what’s going on. The lighting in this painting is a little dim for my taste but it shows the science and discoveries of this period very well. It also seems to have a little religious hue to it as well. It seems like the Alchemist is some kind of son being blessed by something else. The stand that holds the liquid almost resembles a human figure of some sorts. The Classical era was full of art and science; and in some cases these paths collided. The Enlightenment period and Classical era brought some great works by a man by the name of Joseph Wright of Derby.
Works Cited:
The Key to Happiness is Music and Art 
Great job encompassing science and discovery into all three works of art. I would say that Isaac Newton was not only one of the most influential of the time period but of any time period. In the painting with the experiment on the bird you can really see that the children are quite disturbed by the experiment. It looks like they don’t want the bird to get hurt.
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I think that these paintings do the topic of the exploration into science wonderfully. The paintings all have something to do with science and they are all pretty clear as to what is going on. I think that the paintings themselves have a lot of details in them and that really is nice to see. It is also nice that even though there is quite a bit of detail you can still look at the whole image instead of the it being muddled by all the extra details. I do agree with you that the Alchemist is a bit dark and shaded for my taste as well, just because I think that there is something lost when it is that dark. On a separate note here is an additional cite that has some information on some separate scientific discoveries of the time, http://precinemahistory.net/1700.htm.
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