I made another flying visit to the National Gallery at lunchtime today.

I really should go there with some sort of plan to visit different rooms each time and eventually get round all of it, but I keep returning to the room with the Canaletto and Guardi paintings, then fly past the Turners, Constables and Gainsboroughs on the way out.

(If I have time and can remember where they are I also make a point of checking out the Vermeers and Rembrandts)

I do feel like a bit of a philistine just flying past the Monets, Manets and Seurats on the way out, but there are only so many minutes in the hour.

Today, however, I found a new favourite. It is An experiment on a bird in an air pump by Joseph Wright of Derby. I had never heard of either the painting or artist, although it was familiar because a detail of the painting is on the front cover of a book I have – Ingenious Pursuits by Lisa Jardine.

Having looked though the web gallery of his works I find myself in broad agreement with the Wikipedia article. His portraits do nothing for me, his landscapes are better but not special, however his works depicting subjects in artificial light are fascinating.

I may not know much about art, but I know what I like, and I like the painting pictured above. I think I’ll be making a detour to see it again the next time I visit and if I ever find myself in Derby I shall try to get to the museum there to see A philosopher giving that lecture on the orrery which looks like it might be at least as good.