Job, his Wife and his Friends: The Complaint of Job. Verso: Job’s Wife and Eight Other Sketches c. 1785

Curator: William Blake, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, gives us "Job, his Wife and his Friends: The Complaint of Job." The work is held at the Tate. Editor: It’s overwhelmingly sorrowful. The figures are shrouded in despair, their bodies hunched, faces etched with grief. Curator: The image delves into the Book of Job, exploring themes of suffering, faith, and the complexities of human relationships within the social hierarchies of its time. Job's wife, often demonized, here seems to mirror his anguish. Editor: She does. Look at the way Blake positions her hands and her downturned face: gestures of deep mourning, but they also feel like a visual echo of Job's own suffering. What symbols are layered here, do you think? Curator: Well, long beards often signify wisdom, though here, they seem weighted with helplessness. The robes, while classical, also speak to societal constraints and expectations. Editor: Indeed. I’m left contemplating the interplay between the divine and the human condition, and the ways in which these figures are trapped within cycles of loss and injustice. Curator: A powerful depiction, echoing across centuries, reminding us of enduring human struggles and our capacity for both compassion and judgment.