Menalcus Watching Women Dance, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" 1821

Editor: Here we have William Blake’s "Menalcus Watching Women Dance," from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil," dating back to 1821. It’s a drawing and a print, and the landscape almost feels secondary to the figures. What do you see when you look at this work? Curator: I see a joyful rebellion against the constraints of, well, constraint! Look at those dancers, almost vibrating off the page, wouldn’t you say? They seem to defy the very neatness that the architectural backdrop is trying to impose. It feels like Blake is giving us a glimpse into a world where the spirit of dance conquers the cold, hard lines of reason. Do you feel that tension too? Editor: Absolutely. The dancing women are fluid, almost wild, compared to the rigid building and the seated figures. It is fascinating. Does it hint at any social commentary for its time? Curator: I suspect it does. Blake was never one to shy away from challenging the status quo. This was an era of immense social change, with a growing sense of individual expression straining against traditional societal structures. He has the dancers exist within, yet also pushing against, established boundaries. Notice how the seated couple almost blend into the architecture? The dancers seem to dance for their own pleasure, don't they? It speaks of self-discovery through movement and expression, of humanity beyond the rules and limits! Editor: So, the tension between freedom and order... Curator: Precisely. It also plays with perceptions—is Menalcus really ‘watching’? Or is he yearning? Longing, perhaps? Art often doesn't offer answers; it begs for questioning. That is something that can’t be overstated about William Blake! Editor: I never thought about it like that before! I guess that makes a lot of sense about romanticism, breaking away from previous thinking and ideals. Curator: That’s it! And now it is something you know to carry in the wind, onward!