The Good and Evil Angels 

William Blake made this watercolor painting, *The Good and Evil Angels*, using traditional techniques. Blake was trained as an engraver, a painstaking line-based craft, and he was also deeply invested in the possibilities of color. The artwork depicts a struggle between figures of good and evil for possession of a child. The figures are built up in layers of thin washes, a demanding process requiring both careful planning and intuitive gesture. Blake's methodology deliberately opposes the highly capitalized print industry. The choice of watercolor as a medium emphasizes his interest in individual expression and the handmade. The wispy brushstrokes and ethereal quality of the colors give the artwork a dreamlike quality that encourages us to consider the deeper meanings and emotions at play. Ultimately, it is the physical engagement with materials and process that gives the artwork its powerful sense of immediacy and intimacy, challenging any separation of high art from the world of making.