British Art-William Blake

Though William Blake is held today as peerless of the premier poets of the pre- amatory era, his contri howeverions as a painter is often overlooked. Like his poetry, his paintings and etchings reflect his deeply held une trickhly beliefs, as well(p) as the some questions he had non recognisely s washyly faith but the nature of existence. Reflecting a sensibility that was unusual by the standards of the day, Blakes choice of subject matter for his paintings ran from traditional biblical scenes to knightly depictions of ghouls and creatures from Hell sent to tempt and torment humanity.His illuminated printing likewise helped lay down significant depth in his poetry, adding to the impact of the words, and often reflected the equivalent biblical concerns and reverences that Blake held for his Christian beliefs. Combining the chivalric with a proto-Romantic sensibility, William Blake created machination that non only reflected his religious beliefs, but also borrowed from biblical, literary, mystical, and personal inspirations to create incomparable trick that remains as compelling as his poetry and speaks volumes of the imaginative genius of the man.Though many in the stylusrn day consider William Blake cardinal of the seminal poets of the early Romantic period, Blake he did not support himself as a poet during his life but got by on patronage and commissions for engraving and painting. His projects were most often literary and religious in nature and include the Book of Job and other scenes from the Bible Chaucers Canterbury Pilgrims Miltons nirvana Lost and Paradise Regained.His eccentricity and imaginative intensity, which seemed like madness to more than a few of his contemporaries, came from Blakes childhood fill by such events as beholding Gods face pressed against his window, seeing angels among the haystacks, and macrocosm escorted by the nonagenarian Testament prophet, Ezekiel (Abrams, 2000, p. 36). When his brother died in 1887, Blake claimed that he saw his released spirit ascend heavenwards, clapping its hand for joy, and soon after, this spirit would visit him with a critical revelation of the method of Illuminated Printing that he would use in his major poetical spiels.His obscurity as a poet was due in pop out to the difficulty of his plump after the mid-1790s but chiefly to the very limited issue of his books, a consequence of the conscientious and time-consuming process of his Illuminated Printing. Blakes illuminated printing eachowed him to not only publish his poetry but also create art to compliment it.The books include many etchings, most often black in dramatic fashion, that depicted many of Blakes religious and social concerns. He prophesized, included biblical satire and concerns, and addressed timely subjects such as the suffering he observed and the rampant state of religious delusion in London. As Blakes mythical poetic character Los said, in the public eye(predicate) speaking f or all imaginative artists, I must Create a system or be enslaved by another Mans (Abrams, 2000, p. 27).In Songs of white and of Experience, Blake reflects the increasing shift of Western indian lodge towards a more secular, independent mode of thinking. To Blake, the simple joy to be had in venturing the countryside to hear the songs of the birds is more valuable than learning science from books, or morality from the scriptures, and in his work Blake suggests that children atomic number 18 inherently and lifelikely good, and only through the systems of man are they corrupted and robbed of joy.This new faith of Blake in the natural goodness of worldly concern contradicts the concept of the fall of Man, espousing that the malaise of modern culture is a mode of psychic disintegration and of resultant alienation from oneself, ones world, and ones fellow human beings (Abrams, 2000, p. 39). To Blake, like later poets of the Romantic age, the only hope of recovery for humanity res ted in reintegration into the social and natural worlds, as well as adherence to the incorruptible word of God.In Songs of Innocence, Blake fuses many of his social and religious views into an etching accompanying his poem, The Little Black Boy. In some copies, Blake tinted the black boys skin as light as the English boys, while in others he colored them differently while the heavenly scene that Blake depicts shows both boys sheltered by a tree and welcomed by Christ, it also puts the black boy away of the inner circle formed by the curve of Christs body and the praying English boy.Blake depicted the racism of London by present the little black boy as not a part of the configuration of the prayer, but rather a witness to it, stroking the hairs-breadth of the English boy who has no regard for him (Abrams, 2000, p. 45). By depicting the complimentary scene with Christ as he does, Blake is showing how Christian society often excludes those that do not fit the right social criteri a. This droll aspect of Blakes religiousness was one of the main precursors to the spirit of emancipation and equality that would come to dominate the Romantic era.Blake hoped to reach a wider reference with a private exhibition of his illustrations in 1809, but his adventurous originality, bring together with his cantankerous and combative personality, left him largely ignored, except by a few harsh critics. At the time of his death in 1827, he was impoverished and almost entirely unknown except to a refined group of younger painters, and only decades after his life did interest aim to grow in his literary and exquisite contributions.The overwhelming theme in the works of Blake is religion. During his life, Blake declared that all he knew was in the Bible and that The Old and New Testaments are the Great Code of guile. This is an exaggeration of the truth that all his religious and prophetic art deals with some aspects of the overall biblical plot of the creation and the Fall, the history of the generations of humanity in the fallen world, redemption, and the promise of a recovery of Eden and of a New Jerusalem (Abrams, 2000, p. 37).Though Blake spent significant time on his illuminated printing, his continuous experimentation with form and artistic expression led to a series of large color prints of huge size and iconic designs. Though no commission or public exhibition is recorded, and the exact intensions of the artist and the works creation remain unknown, the prints conduct to reflect Blakes literary and biblical concerns, featuring twelve designs with subjects drawn from the Bible, Shakespeare, Milton, and insight subjects such as Newton (Barker, 2004).Once again, Blake treads the fine line between religious faith and faith in humanity to understand existence and create magnificent works of beauty. However, unlike many of the artists that would follow him, Blakes art displayed many of his preferences for the medieval and gothic art of the centuries prior. Blake was not alone in his interest in gothic culture, and a great gothic revivification swept through England, Europe, and North America towards the end of the eighteenth century.Often reflected topper in the dramatic spires of architectural creations of the time, Blake saw these architectural and sculptural accomplishments as the perfect embodiment of his artistic ideal, where spirituality and aesthetic values were inherent (Tate Britain, 2008). To Blake, the spiritual attributes of the gothic revival reflected the height of creative expression, and his art included many characteristics of the gothic style. In his engraving, Joseph of Arimathea among the Rocks of Albion helps express some of his Christian gothic ideals.The picture depicted the legendary figure that supposedly brought Christianity, as well as art to Blake, to ancient Britain, and Joseph is depicted as a melancholiac artist reflective of Blakes ideals (Tate Britain, 2008). Though Blake described hi s technique as fresco, it was more of a form of monotype which used oil and tempera paints commingle with chalks, painted onto a flat surface such as a copperplate or piece of millboard, and he simply pulled prints by touch a sheet of paper against the damp paint, often finishing designs in ink and watercolor to make them each unique (Barker, 2004).Blakes endowment for painting religious icons caught the attention and won the patronage of Thomas Butts, who would nonplus one of Blakes biggest supporters. Using the Bible as he draw origination of inspiration, between 1799 and 1805, Blake produced one-hundred thirty-five watercolors and paintings for Butts Blake used the Bible not unless as a historical, spiritual, and literary guide, but also the fundamental source of all human knowledge, even of the future (Tate Britain, 2008).In the religious paintings Blake produced for Butts, he apply the tempera technique believing it to be representative of the spiritual art of the medie val times that inspired the gothic revival. Using his own symbolic representation in many of the religious scenes he depicts, Blake incorporates many of the Enlightenment ideals into his scenes. In one depiction of Christ, Blake depicts him as holding a compass, as meant to mention the predomination of reason, and shown in his other works, most famously in his characterization of Isaac Newton (Tate Britain, 2008).Blakes gothic style was also incorporated in his highly stylized religious subjects like The Great Red tartar and the Woman Clothed in the Sun, which come directly from the Book of Revelation. along with his depictions of Chaucers pilgrims and Dantes themes of Catholicism, Blake proceed to depict religion in his work until his death. Though William Blake is considered a precursor to the humanism and natural passion of the Romantic era, his religious beliefs dominated much of his work and his life.Unlike many religious artists, Blake kept up(p) his own unique views of religion, and did not shy away from depicting its flaws and misinterpretations. However, Blake continued to see the goodness of religion, as well as humanity, and did his best to combine the elements of the real world with that of the spiritual world. And, while Blake is still considered more of a poet than for his achievements in painting and etching, the complete picture of the artist is not complete without knowing his accomplishments in each art form, and understanding the importance that religion played in inspiring their creation.REFERENCES Abrams, M. H. (2000). William Blake 1757-1827. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th Ed. Vol. 1. New York W. W. Norton & Company. Barker, E. E. (2004, October). William Blake (17571827). Timeline of Art History. New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http//www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/blke/hd_blke. htm Tate Britain. (2008). William Blake. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http//www. tate. org. uk/brita in/exhibitions/blake/blakethemes2. htm