There Were Not Found Women Fair (The Book of Job) 1821

Editor: This is William Blake's "There Were Not Found Women Fair (The Book of Job)," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. I’m struck by the unfinished quality and the overall sense of melancholy. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Note how the central figure extends his arms, almost like a crucifix. This visual echoes not only sacrifice but also divine power, a prevalent symbol throughout art history used to convey emotional intensity and moral weight, doesn't it? Editor: It does! I guess I hadn't fully connected that imagery to the religious symbolism. Curator: Blake masterfully employs these symbols to explore themes of suffering and redemption, drawing from a shared cultural memory. The figures surrounding him are also symbolic, aren't they? Editor: This has given me a totally new way of interpreting Blake's work. Thank you!