At the Huntington Museum, a Joseph Wright of Derby painting perplexes : NPR

Two beloved paintings have been swapping places for a while. One went from California to London. The other is from London to California. The passport was not included. However, the two museums that house the paintings, the Huntington Museum near Los Angeles and the National Gallery in London, welcome visitors to see these masterpieces.

The best known is the portrait of a companion with rosy cheeks. Probably 15 years old, wearing a blue sunny suit and a blue bow on his shoes.

A fellow Englishman, he spent a century in Huntington near Pasadena, California. He first left London in 1921, when 90,000 people began to say goodbye. Cried. Still, he did a good run at the museum star Huntington.

“It’s one of the things everyone wants to see,” says Huntington’s director Christina Nielsen. And she can also take his photo home as a souvenir. “There are lamps, pepper grinders and ashtrays,” she says.

Thomas Gainsborough’s 1770 paintings are reproduced with all kinds of chalk. And why? The kids are adorable and have a nice welcome back to England. “”Blue boyAccording to Nielsen, it is currently astonishing the audience in London. Meanwhile, the National Gallery in London lent Huntington one of Huntington’s most popular 18th-century paintings, Derby’s 1768 blockbuster Joseph Wright. Air pump bird experiment..

A mad scientist (probably a travel instructor) with a flowing red robe and long, shiny white hair supports a large glass bubble. There is a beautiful white bird in the bubbles. The lid makes the foam airtight. The experimenter turns the crank of the vacuum pump attached to the jar — stay with me. He sends out air. Birds appear to be suffering.

“The poor parrot can’t breathe!” Exclaims Huntington’s British art curator Melinda McCardy. “And if the air isn’t immediately returned to the bottle, the bird will unfortunately die,” she laughed.

What is so interesting?The two girls at the instructor’s round wooden table That’s horrible!! One covers her face and cannot see it. Their grandfather tries to comfort them. The curator points out that Charles Darwin’s grandpa is also there. He is watching with other science fans. But young couples are just staring at each other. “They don’t really pay attention to scientific experiments,” says McCurdy. of course not! They are in love

The many Interested in 10 observers in green jackets and have a big watch. He knows how long it takes for a bird to suffocate.

“I want him to look at the clock and say’time to bring the air back’,” McCardy said with a laugh again.

Well, it would have been a relief, winding so that it could be seen. But what’s happening? What are Akagi’s companions and his audience doing?

This is a scientific experiment. They are studying the nature of air: what it does and what it depends on. 1768 was the Enlightenment, an era of empirical observation, experimentation, technology, and entertainment. The old man is not a real scientist. He and others like him are entertainers and entertainers.

“These people traveled and demonstrated in private homes,” explains McCardi. That’s how they made a living. So the parrot couldn’t die. They were expensive. Pseudoscientists can lose money to replace them. Therefore, watches, releases, and birds return to bubbles filled with large air.

And the British bought their own air pump to do their own experiments — the instruction manual is included. (That is, there wasn’t Real housewives In 1768! ) This was a real pastime at the time.

“And if you notice that the instructor is looking straight at the audience,” McCardy points out. “He’s the only person in eye contact with us. It’s as if he’s asking us.’Should I bring the air back?'”

Yes! Let’s go in the air! And thank you to Derby’s Joseph Wright for capturing the scene with his masterpiece — currently on display at the Huntington Museum in California.

Art Where You’re At is an unofficial series that introduces online offerings at museums and may not be available for visit.