We went to The Fitz today. Not specifically to see this Blake exhibition. But just ‘cause we love this superb museum.
I had to have some blood tests done earlier today. And we had to wait an hour for them to get around to us. This meant less time at The Fitz.
This show needs more time than we could give it today. Esp’ as we also looked at various other parts of the museum.
Here’s the non-Blake stuff:
Every time I go to The Fitz, I photograph this particular little painting of Vesuvius. The artist’s name? Anicet-Charles-Gabriel Lemonnier… no wonder I always forget!
Okay, so now to the Blake stuff. I’m presenting my photos here neither in the order I took them in, nor the order they’re in in the gallery. Rather they’re just grouped as I fancy.
I’m quite a fan of C. D. Friedrich. And this is the first time I’ve seen more than one image by him in the flesh. The next seven photos are his ‘ages of man’ allegory. They’re small, monochromatic, and utterly amazing. Jewel like in their pristine execution and detail. Phenomenal.
It’s interesting that death, our ceasing to exist, has become synonymous with various fantasies or visions of ‘the heavens’. Perhaps this inadvertently says something more profound about us than the candy-floss visions themselves suggest?
My secular reading of such ‘religious insights’ – another being The Fall, or the awakening of consciousness as a curse (as opposed to a blessing) – is that our wishful thinking, as facile as it is on a surface level, reveals a deeper and more profound awareness (whether acknowledged or not) that to live is to suffer. Therefore to die is to be released from suffering. And surely that release, in itself, is heavenly?
I’m glad to see at least one Gillray in this show! I can never get enough Gillray, frankly.
A chunk of the exhibition is given over to German ‘spiritualist’, Bohne. The above is from one of his crazy pop-up books. I’m not at all sure what I make of the battles between spiritual and material that form such a strong theme in Blake. I only know I find it all fascinating and beguiling.
I was sorely tempted to buy both the exhibition catalogue, and the Thames and Hudson Complete Illustrated Manuscripts. But I can’t afford to do so, alas. Maybe if I earmark a few extra delivery shifts?
This last image is rather naive. I like the set it comes from. Indeed, as mentioned above? I’ve more than half a mind to acquire the complete printed works. The. edition they have at The Fitz is £40. Amazon sell the same for just over £20!
For now, I’m just getting the snaps I took up on my blog. This superb exhibition was way too much to take in in the 40-60 minutes we had. So another visit is required, ASAP.