‘Nor Fox, nor Wolf, nor Rat among our Sheep’ Possibly 1821 - 1977

Curator: This is William Blake's engraving, ‘Nor Fox, nor Wolf, nor Rat among our Sheep.’ Editor: It’s intensely evocative; the stark contrast and the figure’s pose really create a feeling of desperate protection. Curator: The image accompanied a letter Blake wrote to his patron William Hayley. It's understood to be a symbolic depiction of his struggle against malevolent forces he felt were threatening his artistic vision. Editor: Absolutely, the very texture, achieved through the tight hatching and cross-hatching, almost vibrates with tension. The compressed space, too, denies the possibility of escape or resolution. Curator: Precisely. Blake often used his art to express his spiritual and political beliefs, positioning himself against what he saw as the corrupting influences of his time. Editor: A fitting encapsulation of artistic and personal anxieties within a turbulent era. Curator: Indeed, and a testament to the power of visual metaphor.