Richard Wright (c. 1723 – c. 1775) was an English painter who specialised in marine art. An entirely self-taught artist, he first appeared as an exhibitor in London in 1760, and between that date and 1773 exhibited twenty-five works with the Incorporated Society of Artists and one with the Free Society.
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Works
One of Wright's earliest known works is a picture of the St Nicholas Church, Liverpool, known as 'The Sailor's Church', and where Wright himself was probably baptised. The scene depicts the church and surrounding buildings viewed across the River Mersey from "Man's Island". It was one of several works originally executed by Wright for his shoemaker.
Wright first came to public attention 1762 after when he regularly exhibited at the Society of Artists until 1773. Exhibited works included A Storm with a Shipwreck, Sunset, a Fresh Breeze, A Fresh Gale, River with Boats, &c., Moonlight. The latter is thought to be A moonlit river landscape with a windmill, boats and figures, exhibited between 1770 and 1773 and sold at Christie's, London, in 2012 for £6000. In 1764 a fifty guinea premium was offered by the Society of Arts for the best marine picture; this he won, as was the case with similar prizes given by the society in 1766 and 1768.
Wright's career encompassed the latter years of the Seven Years' War and several of his works depict naval battles and the vessels involved. His painting of the Battle of Quiberon Bay, fought on 20 November 1759 and painted in 1760, depicts the wrecked 74-gun Resolution in the right foreground with the 64-gun Essex ahead of her and the French Soleil-Royal and Héros in flames in the right distance. To the left are the captured French 80-gun Formidable, with a two-deck English vessel.