The Body of Abel Found by Adam & Eve 1825

William Blake rendered "The Body of Abel Found by Adam & Eve" using watercolor and graphite on paper. These were common materials, but Blake’s technique was far from conventional. Blake developed his own method of printmaking and painting, combining relief etching with hand-coloring. The result is a unique surface quality, almost like a fresco, with soft textures and vibrant hues. Look closely, and you will notice the way Blake built up layers of translucent color, creating a sense of depth. The sinuous lines and exaggerated musculature are typical of his style, but also notice the rough texture of the paper and the visible brushstrokes. Blake was deeply concerned with social justice, and the amount of handwork involved in his art was a deliberate rejection of industrialized production. He sought to express profound spiritual truths through his craft, believing that the act of creation was itself a form of resistance against the dehumanizing forces of the modern world.