Dimensions support: 439 x 581 mm
Editor: We're looking at William Blake's, The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy, sometimes called ‘Hecate,’ currently at the Tate. There's a real sense of foreboding in this watercolor— almost as if you are walking into the realm of dreams. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, Blake. This is a world steeped in symbolism, isn't it? I see a convergence of the rational and the intuitive. The figures huddle together, maybe seeking solace or sharing secrets. Their pale skin hints at vulnerability, set against the backdrop of those creatures. What do those shadowy figures whispering overhead evoke for you? Editor: Definitely a sense of unease. Like something’s about to pounce. Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe they're guardians, watching over these vulnerable figures. Blake challenges us to question our assumptions. Is it a scene of terror or transformation? It’s the space between those ideas that truly captures my imagination. Editor: It's amazing to see how much Blake can convey in a single image. Curator: Absolutely. It is Blake’s world, inviting us to step into its complex tapestry.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-the-night-of-enitharmons-joy-formerly-called-hecate-n05056
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The dense, dark colour-printing in the sky and the rocks suggests that this was the first of the three known impressions to be printed. Blake has used pen and ink to give strong outlines to the figures, and to draw locks of hair, the bat, and the donkey’s mane and rough coat. The figures have been given form and roundness by washes of intense but transparent colour. The owl’s eyes are highlighted with a bright, opaque red wash. Enitharmon is a character in Blake’s mythology. In her ‘night of joy’ she sets out her false religion. Gallery label, September 2004
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