"The Day of Judgment" by William Blake (1805)
Pen and gray and black inks and watercolor, with scraping, over graphite, on cream wove paper, laid down on tan board.
Commentary
Commentary
"The Day of Judgment" by William Blake (1805) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together.
Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrative alone.
Themes to notice include drawings (visual works).
This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection.
William Blake is the artist behind this work.
A useful anchor for reading the piece: William Blake
English, 1757-1827.
The work is cataloged within a England cultural context.
How to look at this work:
It is cataloged as drawings (visual works), which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object.
Its medium (Pen and gray and black inks and watercolor, with scraping, over graphite, on cream wove paper, laid down on tan board) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances.
Its listed dimensions (27.4 × 22.2 cm (10 13/16 × 8 3/4 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person.
Subject cues from the catalog include drawings (visual works).
Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/248697
Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data
FREE DAILY EMAIL
Get it in your inbox
One short, ad-free email each morning. Always free, unsubscribe anytime.
Commentary
Commentary