Pages

Ads 468x60px

AD

William Blake Paintings

By Darren Hartley


Ranking among the most original of Romantic visual arts are William Blake paintings. It was at the drawing academy of Henry Pars that William studied art as a boy. James Basire then hired him as a commercial engraver's apprentice for five years. At the age of 22, William entered the Royal Academy School to further develop his engraving skills.

The early romantic William Blake paintings, including Nature Revolves, but Man Advances, were a result of his private study of medieval and Renaissance art. William sought to emulate the example of artists such as Raphael, Michaelangelo and Durer. The objective was to produce timeless, Gothic art, infused with Christian spirituality and created with poetic genius.

A series of huge color prints constituted the William Blake paintings of the 1790s. They were know for their massiveness and iconic designs. Considered to be William's most ambitious work as an artist, the subjects of the 12 known designs, function as pairs. The sources of the subjects included the Bible, Michaelangelo, Milton and Newton.

Fresco was how the technique used in William Blake paintings was described. It is a form of monotype and a mixture of oil and tempera paints with chalks. It was on a flat surface that the designs were painted. Among the surfaces William used were copperplates and millboards. By finishing the design in ink and watercolour, Blake left a mark of rareness and uniqueness on each impression.

From 1799 to 1809, William Blake paintings consisted of a series of Bible illustrations that included about 50 tempera paintings and more than 80 watercolors. The focus of these illustrations was Old Testament prefigurations of Christ, the life of Christ and apocalyptic subjects from the Book of Revelation.

The trajectory that William Blake paintings took as far as development is concerned is towards the inner self. He concentrated on the journeys that the mind appears to take through its imagination. Physically, William never travelled outside of Britain except for a brief period on the southern coast of England.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

 

AD4

AD5

AD7

 
Blogger Templates