Last Judgement 1808

William Blake made this watercolor painting, "The Last Judgment," using ink and watercolor on paper. Rather than employing standard oil paints, Blake chose materials associated with graphic arts and illustration. Looking closely, one sees the graphic quality in the distinct lines and delicate washes of color, applied with the precision of an engraver. Blake was trained as a printmaker, which was a trade rooted in craft. Even though he also worked in painting and poetry, he always saw the world through the eyes of a maker. Blake lived through the Industrial Revolution and was deeply critical of its dehumanizing effects. Here, instead of embracing mechanical reproduction like other artists, Blake uses traditional techniques to depict a scene of spiritual transformation, hinting at a world beyond the confines of industrial labor and materialism. He implies the existence of another kind of work, one that might save us all.