View of High Tor, Matlock, Derbyshire

Wright of Derby painted several scenes of High Tor, Matlock, no doubt attracted by the dramatic stature of this hillside in Derbyshire. The weathered beech tree in the foreground has lost its upper branches, suggesting damage by lightening, but the mood Wright evokes is ultimately serene. Of other works Judy Egerton has noted how 'Wright's landscapes grow less melodramatic, less dependent on effects, as he grows more thoughtful and more confident as a landscape painter' (J. Egerton, Wright of Derby, London, 1990, p.184).