Group of Men Seated in a Circle [recto] c. 1780 - 1785

William Blake made this drawing of a group of men with pen and gray ink, and gray wash on paper, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Blake was a radical artist and thinker, deeply critical of the social and artistic institutions of his time. In Britain, these institutions – like the Royal Academy – maintained hierarchies of genre and promoted an aesthetic of neoclassicism. Blake rejected these values, favoring a more expressive, imaginative, and spiritual approach to artmaking. In this drawing, we see a group of figures seated in a circle. The composition suggests a gathering or meeting, perhaps a discussion or debate. The figures are rendered in a loose, fluid style, with an emphasis on line and gesture. There is an unfinished quality. We might ask, could this reflect Blake’s own sense of alienation from the artistic establishment? Was he perhaps more interested in the process of creation than in the finished product? The beauty of art history is in trying to answer these questions. Researching Blake’s writings, his relationships with other artists, and the social and political context of his time can all help us to better understand his unique vision.