| |
The illustrations in Blake's Prophetic Books had been growing ever larger
and more colourful. It was therefore a logical step
for him to adapt his printing-methods to produce full-scale
paintings. The year 1795 saw the production of the series
of twelve large watercolour prints, including Newton
and Nebuchadnezzar
and The House of Death (shown here), which
biographer Peter Ackroyd calls 'the finest artistic
statement of Blake's Lambeth visions'.
In 1796, Richard Edwards, a bookseller, commissioned Blake to illustrate
Young's Night Thoughts, a philosophical verse
epic immensely popular in the late eighteenth century.
Ultimately, however, Edwards lost interest, and finally
less than half the poem was published, with only forty-three
engravings from Blake's 500 watercolours. Blake's friend,
the sculptor John Flaxman, commissioned him to illustrate
the poems of Thomas Gray. In addition, Blake's most
important patron the civil servant Thomas Butts, commissioned
a series of Biblical paintings from him. However, this
work was not enough to compensate for price inflation
and the depressed art market, caused by the war with
France.
Work was scarce and life was hard, so it seemed like a stroke of luck
when William Hayley, an eccentric gentleman poet, invited
Blake down to live on his estate in Sussex.
The Blakes were glad to leave the 'terrible desert of
London' for 'sweet Felpham'.
|
