Night Startled by the Lark 1820

William Blake made this watercolor drawing, Night Startled by the Lark, using a traditional method, but to deeply personal ends. Watercolor involves applying thin washes of pigment to paper, building up layers of color. Blake was a trained printmaker, so he knew all about the craft of image-making. But his work went far beyond the conventional. He favored evocative, dreamlike imagery like this, rather than more straightforward subjects. The translucent quality of watercolor allowed him to create ethereal figures floating against a dark sky, conveying a sense of spiritual awakening. Blake’s approach to technique was a key part of his artistic vision. He wasn’t just illustrating a scene; he was using the very act of creation to explore complex ideas about imagination, the divine, and the human condition. For Blake, the making was the meaning.