Satan Watching the Endearments of Adam and Eve 1806

Curator: This is William Blake’s “Satan Watching the Endearments of Adam and Eve,” housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. The dimensions are approximately 26.7 by 20 centimeters. Editor: My initial impression is one of voyeuristic unease. The crisp lines contrast sharply with the subject matter's supposed innocence. Curator: Indeed. Note how Blake employs precise engraving techniques, emphasizing contour and line. This creates a sense of dramatic tension. Editor: That tension feels very deliberate, given Blake’s radical politics. Is he critiquing the power structures inherent in the Genesis narrative itself, subtly siding with rebellion? Curator: The serpent, often a symbol of temptation, is rendered with intricate detail. Look at how its coils frame Adam and Eve. Editor: It seems to me that Blake's composition encourages us to question established religious and social norms. It reframes the fall as a moment of potential liberation. Curator: It's a powerful visual statement, however you interpret it. Editor: Absolutely. Blake prompts us to consider the complexities of choice, power, and narrative control within the story of humanity’s origin.