The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy (formerly called ‘Hecate’) c. 1795

Editor: This is William Blake’s "The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy," also known as ‘Hecate.’ It’s undated, but the watercolor is just captivating. The somber mood and strange menagerie of figures are really striking. What do you make of it? Curator: Blake challenged conventional artistic and societal norms. Consider the role of the Royal Academy in shaping artistic taste at the time. How might a work like this, with its esoteric symbolism and rejection of classical ideals, have been received? Editor: I imagine it wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by the establishment? Curator: Precisely. Blake critiqued the rationalism of the Enlightenment, so he built his own visual language. It gives agency to imagination. Editor: That’s so interesting! I see how his unique perspective really comes through. Curator: It really makes you consider the power of art to challenge social structures.