An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

Hello everyone, today I will talk about the work called "Experiment with a Bird in an Air Pump", painted by the British painter Joseph Wright in 1768 and currently exhibited at the National Gallery in London.


First of all, I will start with why painter Wright felt the need to paint such a painting. There was a rapidly developing scientific environment in Europe in the 18th century. We have all heard of the industrial revolution and its impact on Europeans. We can say that this period is experiencing a kind of age of enlightenment or age of science. It is also a very active period socially. Innovations are being made in almost every field. Explorers, scientists, inventors appear one after another... In fact, we see in the picture how these effects are reflected in society. A topic chosen according to the developments in science and the industrial revolution, in short, the life of the future. However, here the world of the future is depicted using a past technique.

Most of us are now familiar with the powerful shadow-light games of Baroque painting. Baroque painting, which Caravaggio started in Rome, influenced the whole of Europe for a long time with its strong lights that felt like they were filtering through a dark rift and the depiction of the 'moment'.


In his painting, Wright magnificently conveys the strong shadow-light play of Baroque art and the reflection of the 'moment'. However, when we look at it in terms of subject or history, it would be more accurate to call it a painting with Baroque features instead of calling it a Baroque painting. In the picture we witness a moment of experimentation. The figures are gathered around a table in a dark room. We see that the experiment has different effects on all the figures and reveals different emotional expressions.

This is a mechanism experiment. This mechanism belongs to a scientist named Robert Boyle. To explain it simply, we can call it an air pump, that is, a vacuum pump. We see a bell jar sitting on a long pole. There is a bird inside the bowl. But this is no ordinary bird...


What I mean by ordinary is not actually a pigeon or a sparrow as we are used to seeing. It is not a bird that the British see often. It is obvious that the painter made an interesting choice because this is a cockatoo. The parrot is imprisoned in the bowl. The parrot trapped in this bowl is the focal point and determines the movements of all the figures in the picture. Because the experiment is being done on him. We see that the bell jar is connected to another tool on the table via a hose. The effects of the pump, air pressure and vacuum were shown to people as if they were performing a magic show. As a result of the experiment, they will see how the air inside the bell jar is removed by vacuum. What will happen if the air inside the bell jar is removed?


Unfortunately, our beautiful parrot will have died... The painter's choice is important at this point. It should not be forgotten that this painter lived in that period and painted this painting by observing these things. We know that the British killed dozens or even hundreds of pigeons and sparrows in such so-called magic tricks or science tricks. In other words, it has now become an ordinary event for this society. The artist must have been worried that people looking at the painting would react insensitively when they saw a pigeon in a bowl, so he chose a parrot that was more unusual for that period.
In other words, by affecting us emotionally and even increasing the instantaneous tension within the painting, he makes us curious about what will happen at the end of that scene and wants to fixate us in front of his painting. A composition that will make it extremely difficult for you to move on to the next painting in the exhibition...
When we add the movements of the other figures to this, an extremely tense and successful scene emerges. Let's start looking at the far left. At the front, on the left, two young male figures are observing the bird with interest.


A little above them, again on the left, we see a couple in love. Will the bird die? Will he live? These two figures don't care at all. Even at this moment, they found an opportunity and stared into each other's eyes.
This man with long white hair, who looks at us bravely, coldly and determinedly, is a traveling scientist who is conducting the experiment. The technique the painter uses here actually resembles that of a magician. Magicians constantly keep us involved in their action with their gaze.
Projecting the scientist here looking at us keeps our attention constantly in the picture. Without being able to stop ourselves, we watch the figures, look at this figure again, and then return to the bird. As if the picture would have an end, a conclusion... The painter also tells us something with other figures. By looking at the reactions of the little girls, he wants us to understand that the parrot will not end well. ''Even these children are aware of what will happen,'' he tells us. Their father is desperately trying to comfort them.

This child figure, which we see on the far right of the picture, is one of the most important figures that increases the tension and movement in the picture. We do not know exactly what this child, whom we see together with a magnificent full moon image, is doing.


Let's briefly evaluate the possibilities. It looks like he is trying to open the lid of the cage above with the stick in his hand. I'm making a probable comment because it might be closing. If it does, it might have a good meaning. In the experiment, the parrot will be breathless, but will be removed from the bowl at the last moment and then put back into its cage alive and healthy. But there is another possibility. That is, closing the lid of the bird's cage. This may indicate that the bird will die and never return to its cage.

The child is probably this traveler's helper, and judging by his facial expression, we can tell that there isn't much hope for the parrot. Because the painter depicted this child figure in a way that resembles an executioner...


There is another figure who supports this negative thought of ours and is thoughtful just like us. This thoughtful man on the far right may be thinking about death. Because there is a skull inside the water-filled bowl in front of him. Memento Mori means "Remember death".


This idea is actually one of the strongest aspects of Baroque art. Since we see a lot of influence from Baroque art here, it may be necessary to consider this symbol with its Baroque meaning. Death can come at any moment, even in the happiest and most enjoyable moments, even while praying...
Now I want you to look again at the figures on the right side of the stage only. It looks like a funeral scene, doesn't it? Gravediggers, those who cry, those who console, those whose eyes wander, and those who are afraid...
Even in the happiest, most loving moments, we forget that what is happening around us and that death can be with us at any moment. That's why it's always Memento Mori... Thank you for reading, stay artistic.