國家美術館藏品 | Collection of National Gallery

群眾聚集在講師周圍觀看氣泵中的小鳥實驗。夜幕降臨，房間被一根蠟燭照亮。一隻白色鳳頭鸚鵡被放置在一個玻璃容器中，從中抽取空氣以產生真空。講師是將空氣完全排出並殺死鸚鵡，還是讓空氣重新進入並使其復活？
賴特正在研究顏色在遠離光線時會發生什麼。講師身著艷麗的紅色長袍，是淺紅色錦緞織有蔓藤花紋；在燭光下呈鮭紅色，但隨著眼睛遠離光線而變暗為洋紅色。女孩們的裙子從淡紫色變成紫色，然後變成黑色。小女孩是最亮的人物，她們對小鳥命運的反應也最極端。桌子的面反射光線照射着周圍的物體。透過蠟燭點燃的半透明琥珀色液體玻璃瓶，可以看到小女孩的手臂，牆壁上隱約可見陰影。在光線無法到達的地方—桌子下方—顏色和形式完全消失在黑暗中。光明與黑暗—就像生與死一樣—是藝術家賴特戲劇性的、具有紀念意義的主題。
This work depicts a scene where a lecturer, surrounded by his audience, is performing an experiment on a bird in an air pump. The experiment is conducted in a candlelit room at night. A white cockatoo is put in a glass container in which air is pumped out to generate a vacuum. Is the lecturer emptying the air in the container, leaving the bird suffocated? Or, is he refilling the container with air to keep the bird alive? In this work, Wright is experimenting with changing colours when objects move away from the source of light. In the picture, the lecturer is clad in a glamorous rosy gown embroidered with arabesque. The picture captures the gradation of colour shown in the rosy gown, turning from reddish orange when lit up by the candle to magenta in the shade. Also, the dresses of the girls change from pale purple to darker purple and eventually blend in with the darkness.
The little girls, represented as the brightest characters in the scene, are the ones with the most radical reactions to the fate of the bird. On the surface of the table, we can see reflections of objects around the room. For example, on the surface of the container with translucent amber liquid inside, we can see the reflections of the little girls’ arms, with shadows vaguely appearing on the wall. In the candlelit room, the area under the table is the mysterious place the light can’t reach, where all colours and forms vanish into the darkness. The dramatic use of light and darkness, evoking the theme of life and death, is representative of Wright's works.