Michelle M. Rodriguez
September 18, 2014
ENC 1101 Professor M. Cueto
Writing Assignment (Art)
William Blake
Born in London on November 28, 1757, William Blake
envisioned God way before he could even fathom the impact He
would have on both his poetry and paintings. Blake believed that any
man on the street understood his work, but the divinity within it
created a complexity beyond any man’s understanding. Blake, mostly
known for his paintings depicting not only the biblical text, but also
where it originates from, never hesitated to show his religious
enlightenment. The son of James and Catherine Blake carried himself unlike any other, and
attended no ordinary school. He attended Pars’ Drawing School. After two years in drawing
school, Blake drew some inspiration and began to write poetry, and he even became an apprentice
for an engraver. Being exposed to certain elements of art, gave him his Gothic style. For several
years, Blake, a painter and an engraver wrote and illustrated for several books and magazines
(Alighieri). He drew for Dante’s Divine Comedies until his death in 1827, leaving behind a legacy
of spiritual insight and an irreplaceable divine nature (“William Blake”). Some of his most
influential pieces include Angel of the Revelation, Pity, second impression, and The Angel Gabriel
Appearing to Zacharias.
The Angel of the Revelation depicts the biblical
passage from the book of Revelations perfectly.
Surrounded by orange and red flames, the angel’s legs
portray pillars of fire. The array of white light and colors
above the angel represent the voices of the seven thunders
or seven angels with trumpets that resonate throughout the
Earth. The small figure of Saint John, Jesus’ Apostle,
under the towering angel symbolizes just how small
human sacrifices compare to the sacrifices that those in the
heavens make for mankind throughout the bible. The
angel covers the entire canvas and takes full control and dominance over the painting. By
outstretching his hand, the angel summons the heavens to find the light, much needed everywhere
else in the painting. The ominous scene of men riding on horses with cavalry suits on, found within
the angels drapes of smoke make up Saint John’s vision. In this scene, the men have a purpose to
search and destroy followers of Christ. It depicts an uncontainable animosity which Saint John
cannot remove from his visions. The scroll which the angel holds in his left hand holds Saint John’s
future and purpose within it (Revelations 10:1-7).
Inspired
by
one
of
Shakespeare’s most famous plays,
Macbeth, William Blake painted Pity,
second impression. The painting shows
a literal representation of a simile within
the play which starts in Scene 1, Line 7:
And pity, like a naked newborn babe.
The stretching of the woman on the
galloping horse towards the young lady, who lies on the ground like a baffled child, shows pity as
does the expression of concern on the woman’s face. The woman on the horse exerts a beatific
nature as she carries a newborn baby. A newborn baby receives the most pity if hurt, sick or dying
and so the baby represents the extent of pity the rider conveys for the young lady. The young lady
lies on the ground helplessly awaiting her possible death as the rider swoops by. She lies on her
back staring blankly up into the sky with her head rested on a cushion of blonde curls. She seems
almost complacent to the death that awaits her. The blue and grey background sets an eerie mood
for the painting which contradicts the white paintings of the angelic looking woman and horse
whose mane glides through the wind with her blonde locks. The shadow behind the rider and the
horse depicts them gliding off and not even paying any attention to the young lady with the rider
turned away from the scene. The entire painting portrays a living paradox (“Heilbrunn Timeline
of Art History”).
Like most of Blake’s paintings the
Angel Gabriel Appearing to Zacharias
also portrays a biblical passage from the
gospel of Luke. The priesthood requires
Zachariah to enter the temple and offer
incense to God. The incense derives
from a chain link which Zachariah
holds, letting out an enormous amount of smoke accumulated on a pillar next to him. Zachariah’s
clothing, ornamented with colors like blue and orange and topped off with a traditional hat,
represent his priesthood. The candleholder to Zachariah’s right almost looks like a Menorah, a
huge symbol of the Jewish religion. The light coming from the top of the painting shows that
something divine and angelic occurs and sheds a light upon the dark temple. The angel with sacred
wings lifts his hand to announce to Zachariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear him a son.
Zachariah’s face holds a look of confusion and awe at what the angel proclaims to him. The white
color of the angel embodies practically all the pureness within the painting because it contains
mostly dark colors. To the left of the angel a table holds various containers that possibly contain
incense, a vital substance in the Jewish religion (Luke 1:3-15).
William Blake, a world renowned artist and poet, expressed his beliefs and interests
through his religiously affiliated paintings and literal connection to plays like Shakespeare’s
Macbeth. He altered the conventional way of looking at certain passages with his artistic abilities.
Blake greatly impacted the Christian community and lovers of literature with just a pen and black
ink. Blake was not any ordinary person and although his pieces were at times tough to understand,
the legacy of religious enlightenment and literature left behind incredibly left a mark on mankind.
Works Cited
Alighieri, Dante. Dante's Divine Comedy. London, 1851. Print.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." William Blake: Pity (58.603). The Metropolitan Museum
of Art. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.
“Luke 1:3-15.” The Catholic Youth Bible. NRSV Catholic Edition ed. Winona, Minnesota: Saint
Mary’s. 1488. Print
“Revelations 10:1-7.” The Catholic Youth Bible. NRSV Catholic Edition ed. Winona,
Minnesota: Saint Mary’s. 1488. Print.
"William Blake." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.