14th Jan 2020 - Tate Britain London - William Blake
“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man
.......as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up till he sees all things thro’
.......narrow chinks of his cavern.”
To many I’m certain, this quote has always been a golden thread and philosophical junction, evoking eloquent thought and imagination. The exhibition at Tate Britain focused greatly on Blake’s journey as a craftsman, which I really appreciated and his somewhat turbulent experience of balancing his skilled trade work as an engraver, together with his artistic passion and evolving internal narrative. It was a fantastic opportunity to see many of his fewer famous works and see the variety of techniques he implemented throughout his life.
The Horse
One of the smallest and most intimate, charming and eerily powerful pieces on display.
Tempera and ink on copper engraving plate - 106 × 64 mm
“To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”
Death’s Door
Designed by William Blake, but interestingly engraver and print maker Luigi Schiavonetti was commissioned by publisher Cromek to reinterpret his work due to fear that Blake’s radical style being commercially less well received. It’s still a powerful reinterpretation.
Whiteline etching with handtinting in black and grey washes on paper - 1805
“If a thing loves, it is infinite”
Beatrice and Dante in Gemini, amid the Spheres of Flame (illustration to the ‘Divine Comedy’, Paradiso XXIV) 1824–7 - Watercolor and ink over graphite and chalk on paper