Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight [SEP] creator
Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight
Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight (also known as Dressing the Kitten) (c. 1768–1770) is a "fancy painting" by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797). The picture is one of a number of candlelit studies made by Wright that demonstrate his skill in the use of "chiaroscuro" in which he specialised. Apparently an innocent scene of little girls dressing a kitten, the picture has been thought by art historians to have a number of deeper meanings.
Genre
and composition.
"Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight" would have been described in the late eighteenth century as a "fancy picture", a type of picture between portraiture and works with a historical or literary theme. It depicts two upper-class girls, probably sisters, who have put aside their doll in order to dress up their kitten instead.
The most notable feature of the painting is Wright's skillful use of "chiaroscuro", the contrast of light and dark, a technique in which he