Satan before the Throne of God Possibly 1825 - 1874

Curator: This is William Blake's engraving, "Satan before the Throne of God." It's part of his illustrations for the Book of Job. Editor: It feels incredibly turbulent, doesn’t it? All these figures swirling, a sense of profound unease and drama. Curator: Blake uses light and shadow so dramatically here. Satan is depicted with a bow and arrow, a symbol of temptation, almost overpowered by the divine presence. Editor: The weight of judgement, maybe? It makes me think of the serpent archetype, the tempter, always lurking at the edges of innocence. And what about the faces in the crowd? Curator: Well, it's Job's family at the bottom, the ones about to suffer, under the watchful gaze of God enthroned at the top. Editor: Yes, and Blake puts them into this intricate, almost suffocating frame of interwoven lines. The whole piece pulses with a kind of feverish energy. Curator: It’s Blake’s vision, all right. He channels spiritual struggle through his unique and unforgettable aesthetic. Editor: Exactly. It really stays with you, doesn’t it? A glimpse into a very personal apocalypse.