Thy Sons and Daughters Were Eating and Drinking Wine (The Book of Job) 1821

Curator: Here we have William Blake’s watercolor, “Thy Sons and Daughters Were Eating and Drinking Wine (The Book of Job).” Editor: It’s immediately striking—the sheer drama of it. The figures are caught in this moment of destruction. Curator: Blake depicts the biblical story of Job, specifically the moment when Job's children are killed as part of a divine test. Consider how the winged figure hovering above suggests agency and the patriarchal framework that informs such narratives of suffering and testing. Editor: The rendering of the architecture is interesting, too. The solid stone feels both monumental and unstable, like the very foundations are crumbling. The materials depicted are at odds with the fragility of watercolor. Curator: Yes, and thinking about that materiality in relation to the narrative is key. The destruction isn’t just physical, but also social and personal. It speaks to the precariousness of existence. Editor: Ultimately, it's a poignant meditation on loss, rendered with Blake’s unmistakable visionary intensity.