Figure Seen from the Back, with Outstretched Arm c. 1800

Editor: So, here we have William Blake's "Figure Seen from the Back, with Outstretched Arm," dating from around 1800. It's a pencil and graphite drawing on paper, currently at the Art Institute of Chicago. It has such a tentative, searching quality to it, almost like a ghost taking form. What do you see in it? Curator: That's lovely, "a ghost taking form," exactly! Blake always seemed to be reaching for something just beyond the veil, didn't he? This drawing, with its spare lines and energetic gesture, is classic Blake. The figure strains forward, arm extended... are they imploring, reaching for salvation, or perhaps pointing a warning? It makes me think of the Romantics' obsession with the sublime, that overwhelming sense of awe and terror. Do you feel that too? Editor: Yes, definitely the "awe," but terror is a stretch… He looks like he's trying to reach something out of reach. Maybe an ideal? Curator: Aha, and that "out of reach" is the core of it, right? Think of Blake's visionary poems, his struggles with conventional religion, and the rigid academic art of his day. Perhaps he's depicting mankind striving for enlightenment. Or even a younger version of Albion, that mythic, giant man that stands for England's collective soul? Or it is just figure study for something that never fully resolves? I do find these loose lines and sense of incompleteness more thrilling that many academic works of the time. What a wild genius. Editor: So it could be both a literal sketch and something more symbolic? I never would have guessed about Albion! I see now how the "unfinishedness" makes it feel so much more dynamic and evocative. Curator: Absolutely! Blake existed in many realms at once. Never be afraid of trusting your feelings when art sparks. Even something simple like a ghost appearing! Editor: That's what I’ll take away from this. Thank you! Curator: Wonderful! And thank you for being such a spirited guide through Blake's beautiful sketch.