An Ascending Spiral of Figures [recto] c. 1820

Curator: Alright, let’s spend a bit of time with this ethereal pencil drawing. It's entitled "An Ascending Spiral of Figures [recto]", by William Blake, dating from around 1820. Editor: Wow, a sketch of the cosmos perhaps? It feels so delicate, like a thought barely captured. There's an almost haunting fragility to the line work. It reminds me of when I try to grab a dream right as I wake up... Curator: It’s quite typical of Blake, capturing visions that are just beyond our everyday sight. Think of Blake's commitment to showing us alternative realities, and consider that the early nineteenth century, while on one hand advancing scientific materialism, also was fascinated by spiritualism. It was a time of intense upheaval, culturally and politically, reflected, perhaps, in that feeling of fleetingness you mentioned. Editor: Yes! The politics of the unseen! That makes perfect sense. The subject’s drapery pools at the base, giving them the illusion of flight—are those perhaps wings hovering near their head? Curator: Good eye! One can interpret those as wings, haloes, or perhaps emanations of pure light, considering Blake's spiritual beliefs. He really did operate outside of the established art world, printing his own illuminated books, railing against institutions… Editor: Exactly. This work feels so rebellious, so unbound by the constraints of artistic expectations, even at a time when many were taking artistic liberties. Do you see those rapidly hatched pencil marks beneath the hem of the robes? Curator: Absolutely. Blake was, above all, interested in energy. Perhaps we're not only meant to focus on the central figure, but also the swirling vitality from which they ascend. It’s that emphasis on dynamic spiritual energy which cemented Blake as a precursor of the Symbolists. Editor: That makes me want to embrace the uncertainty. Thanks, William Blake, for giving us space to consider our own ascensions, and fallibilities. Curator: Indeed, a reminder that art's purpose extends far beyond mere representation; that its function lies in sparking personal contemplation.