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William Blake (1757-1827), Chaucers Canterbury Pilgrims, Copper engraving, hand-colored in watercolor by the artist, Third state, ca. 1810-20, Gift of Charles Ryskamp in memory of Grace Lansing Lambert; 2005.190. |
The Living Legacies of Man Who Could See Heaven and Other Realities |
William Blake (1757-1827), Fire, ca. 1805, Pen and black and gray ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over traces of graphite, Gift of Mrs. Landon K. Thorne, 1971; 1971.18.
Samuel Palmer (1805-1881), Pear Tree in a Walled Garden, Watercolor and tempera, over preliminary, drawing in brush and gray wash, with traces of graphite on gray paper, Thaw Collection, The Morgan Library & Museum; 1980.37.
William Blake (1757-1827), Melancholy from John Milton’s Il Penseroso, no. 1 in the set of 6 drawings created for his patron Thomas Butts, Watercolor, over traces of black chalk, Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows, with the special support of Mrs. Landon K. Thorne and Mr. Paul Mellon, 1949; 1949.4:72 3.
William Blake (1757-1827), The Sun at His Eastern Gate from John Milton’s L’Allegro, no. 3 in the set of 6 drawings, created for his patron Thomas Butts, Watercolor, over traces of black chalk, Purchased with the assistance of the Fellows with the special support of Mrs. Landon K. Thorne, and Mr. Paul Mellon, 1949; 1949.4:3.
William Blake (1757-1827), Behemoth and Leviathan, from Illustrations for the Book of Job, (ca. 1805-1810), no. 15 in the set of 21 drawings for his patron Thomas Butts, Pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over traces of graphite Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1903; 2001.77. |
The Morgan Library & Museum Visionary and nonconformist William Blake (1757-1827) is a singular figure in the history of Western art and literature: a poet, painter, and printmaker. Ambitiously creative, Blake had an abiding interest in theology and philosophy, which, during the age of revolution, inspired thoroughly original and personal investigations into the state of man and his soul. In his lifetime Blake was best known as an engraver; he was later recognized for his innovations across many other disciplines. In the Morgan’s first exhibition devoted to Blake in two decades, former director Charles Ryskamp and curators Anna Lou Ashby and Cara Denison have assembled many of Blake’s most spectacular watercolors, prints, and illuminated books of poetry to dramatically underscore his genius and enduring influence. A New Heaven Is Begun, the subtitle is a quote from Blake referring to the significance of his date of birth. The show includes more than 100 works and among the many highlights are two major series of watercolors, rarely displayed in their entirety. The 21 watercolors for Blake’s seminal illustrations for the Book of Job — considered one of his greatest works and revealing his personal engagement with biblical texts — were created about 1805-10. Also on view are twelve drawings illustrating John Milton’s poems L’Allegro and Il Penseroso, executed about 1816-20. Both series were undertaken for Blake’s principal patron, Thomas Butts. “The name William Blake means different things to different people,” said William M. Griswold, director of the Morgan. “Engraver, painter, poet, visionary — all apply to Blake, and all are accurate. The Morgan is fortunate to have one of the most important collections of Blake material in the world, and this exhibition provides an opportunity to see his extraordinary creativity across many disciplines.” The son of a London haberdasher and a religious dissenter, Blake studied the Bible privately with his family. He was educated at home and well read as an adult. This intellectual curiosity was coupled with a keen perception of the political and social world, finding expression in his artistic independence as well as the complex mythology he constructed in response to the age of revolution in which he lived. This mythology centered around the figure of “Urizen,” an authoritarian, kinglike figure who represents rulers both sacred and profane, with whom other characters representing independence and artistic creativity must interact. Blake was trained as an engraver. His skill was often applied to reproducing designs of his fellow students and teachers at the Royal Academy. Blake engraved his own works as well, and painted for Academy shows, wrote poetry, and engraved illustrations for books issued by the radical publisher Joseph Johnson. He was also active within the Soho/Covent Garden artistic community. Although Blake explored many artistic disciplines, he continued to work throughout his life in the medium for which he was trained, engraving. As a result of a dream conversation with his dead brother Robert in 1787, Blake developed a new method of engraving relief plates. By using a special coating for copper plates, he was able to combine reverse script with illustrative details. With this inventive technique, he created Songs of Innocence in 1789 and embarked on a major productive period that saw the creation of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790), Visions of the Daughter of Albion (1793), Continental Prophecies: America (1793), Europe (1794), and the Song of Los (1795). While living in Lambeth in the 1790s — across the river but still within walking distance of the artistic and literary center of London — he created small runs of the illuminated books, which were printed on speculation or for a few patrons. In addition to the superlative watercolor series — 21 illustrations to the Book of Job and 12 designs illustrating Milton’s L’Allegro and Il Penseroso — other important drawings are on display, including Fire (ca. 1805), which addresses the subject of war. The more fully expressed Continental Prophecies, a series of three illuminated books, further showcase Blake’s talents as a visual artist and his passionate interest in politics. Blake’s fame as a poet is seen in his fair copy of ballads known as The Pickering Manuscript, named after its early owner and publisher. Giving voice to Blake’s well-known poem Auguries of Innocence, found in the manuscript, is the actor Jeremy Irons, who has also recorded the shorter poem, Tyger. These can be heard on a gallery listening station and on the Morgan’s Web site. Blake supported himself with his engravings, and a selection of his prints — many of which are extremely rare impressions — documents this important aspect of his production. A magnificent example of Blake’s largest print, touched with watercolor by the artist, depicts Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims. With this work the artist hoped for commercial success, something he was unable to secure in his lifetime. Among Blake’s crowning achievements as a visual artist and poet are his illuminated books, such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (ca. 1794). These works, which also showcase his exceptional technical skills, reflect medieval manuscript illumination and the interrelationship between word and image. Also on view is the only dated copy of Blake’s dramatic The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Shedding light on the artistic milieu surrounding Blake are a number of works by friends and contemporaries, including drawings by younger artists such as John Linnell (1792-1882) and members of a group that assembled around Blake and called themselves the Ancients. Also represented are works by painters such as Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) and Henry Fuseli (1741-1825). The Morgan Library & Museum’s Blake collection — one of this country’s most distinguished — began with purchases as early as 1899 by the institution’s founder, Pierpont Morgan. The exhibition is a tribute to the scholarship and generosity of Charles Ryskamp, director of the Morgan from 1969 to 1986. During his tenure, major gifts almost doubled the size of the Blake collection; and in recent years his gifts of engravings, letters, and related materials have augmented the holdings as a major source for research.
William Blake (1757-1827), Designs for Robert John Thornton’s third edition of The Pastorals of Virgil, Four wood engravings printed from one block, London: J. McGowan for Rivington [and others], 1821, Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1906; PML 9948.24 15.
William Blake (1757-1827), Joseph of Arimathea Among the Rocks of |
John Flaxman (1755-1826), Behold this proud oppressor of my country, Choephora, Pen and brown ink over graphite, Gift of Louise Crane in memory of her mother, Mrs. W. Murray Crane; 1975.40:2. |
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William Blake, The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve, c 1826, © Tate 2008. |
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William Blake's Significance as a Metaphysical Reference Point |
Tate Liverpool Revered as an important reference point for British culture and Romanticist Art, Blake’s influence extends far beyond visual arts, inspiring not only artists but writers, poets, musicians and illustrators. He was largely attracted to narratives and themes — including Biblical subjects and classical poetry - that enabled him to express the triumph of innocence and virtue over tyranny and hypocrisy. Blake’s philosophy was underpinned by unorthodox political beliefs, profound anti-materialism and the notion that there existed a more significant spiritual world beyond mere physical existence. This display uses his iconic works to consider the life cycle not as a predetermined journey, but rather as part of a totality within which life, death, resurrection and the afterlife belong to a greater spiritual realm. |
At the end of 2008, Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, Tate Liverpool is presenting a display of major works by William Blake (1757-1827), the renowned painter, printmaker, poet and mystical philosopher, including selected William Blake masterpieces, in a spellbinding display that reconsiders the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Tate has one of the most important and extensive collections of William Blake work in the world. This display includes a special selection of his finest work, including the artist’s celebrated colour prints which have been influential in expanding the creative possibilities of the medium. Key works include a selection of Blake’s famed watercolour illustrations to Dante’s The Divine Comedy, as well as major paintings such as Newton (1795/c.1805), The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve (c.1826) and The Bard, from Gray (1809). |
William Blake, Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boil, 1825, reprinted 1874, © Tate 2008. |
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William Blake, Frontispiece to Visions of the Daughters of Albion, Detail, circa 1795, Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from The Art Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the The Art Fund 1919, © copyright 2000 Tate, all rights reserved, Colour print finished in ink and watercolour on paper, support: 17 x 12 cm. |
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William Blake and the Abolition of the Slave Trade in England |
An exhibition display regarding William Blake's poem The Little Black Boy. Design for the exhibition 1807: Blake, Slavery and the Radical Mind was created by Objectif with Oliver Klimpel, Silke Klinnert and furniture by Barnaby Tuke.
William Blake, The Spiritual Form of Nelson Guiding Leviathan, circa 1805-9, Tempera on canvas, support: 762 x 625 mm frame: 912 x 785 x 75 mm, Purchased 1914, © copyright 2000 Tate, all rights reserved.
William Blake (1757-1827), Europe Supported By Africa and America, 1796. Engraving. Illustration from John Gabriel Stedman, Narrative of a Five Years' Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam in Guiana on the Wild Coast of South America; from the Year 1772 to 1777, 2 vols.
William Blake (1757-1827), Malevolence, 1799, watercolour with pen 11-7/8 x 8-7/8, Philadelphia Museum of Art. |
Tate Britain A special exhibition entitled 1807: Blake, Slavery and the Radical Mind marks the bicentenary of the passing of the 1807 Parliamentary Act which abolished the British Slave Trade. Incorporating historical documents and works of art, and innovative interpretation and commentary, the exhibition focuses on William Blake (1757-1827) and the circle of liberal writers and artists associated with the radical London publisher Joseph Johnson (1738-1809), many of whose publications supported the emergence of socially and politically progressive ideas and causes. In Blake’s prints and poetry, which have inspired generations of artists, writers and religious and political dissenters, we can find some powerful anti-slavery sentiments. This display will evoke the atmosphere of debate to which Blake and many others contributed and which helped shape the ideas that underpinned the introduction of the Act. The display includes Blake’s The Little Black Boy from the Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794) and two important engravings by Blake which illustrate army officer John Gabriel Stedman’s first hand account of life on the slave plantations, his Narrative of a Five Years’ Expedition, against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam (1796). Blake's illustrations to this book, including The Execution of Breaking on the Rack, are among the most powerful and shocking anti-slavery images. The exhibition also features other pieces by Blake such as the tempera, The Spiritual Form of Nelson Guiding Leviathan of about 1805-9, and works by Blake’s contemporaries, such as caricatures by James Gillray and two little-known anti-slavery prints after paintings by George Morland. This exhibition includes important historical publications loaned by the British Library and the BritishMuseum and other collections. There are books by contemporary radical thinkers of the day such as John Howard the prison reformer, the poet William Cowper and feminist author Mary Wollstonecraft. The well-known portrait of Wollstonecraft by John Opie of 1790-1 is on display. Visitors can explore the historical and intellectual context for the abolition movement and to consider issues of race, identity and freedom of speech. The books, illustrations, prints and paintings from the period establish the wider philosophical and political setting for abolition. The exhibition was curated by writer and broadcaster, Mike Phillips and Tate Curators, Robin Hamlyn and Martin Myrone.
William Blake (1757-1827), A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows, from "Narrative of a Five Years" Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the Wild Coast of South America, from the year 1772, to 177', engraved by William Blake.
William Blake (1757-1827), Flagellation of a Female Samboe Slave, engraved by William Blake.
John Opie, Mary Wollstonecraft (Mrs William Godwin), c. 1790-1, Oil on canvas, support: 759 x 638 mm, frame: 1005 x 875 x 130 mm, Purchased 1884, © 2000 Tate.
Blakes' second plate of The Little Black Boy.
William Blake (1757-1827), Inferno, Canto XIII, 1-45, The Wood of Self-Violators: The Harpies and the Suicides. Detail. |
William Blake (1757-1827), Tiriel, plate 2, Har and Heva bathing, Mnetha looking on, Pen and grey wash over pencil 183x273 mm Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. |
