Dimensions: image: 196 x 149 mm
Copyright: NaN
Editor: This is William Blake's "Job and his Family Restored to Prosperity." It’s hard to pin down the exact date. I'm struck by the contrast between the detailed figures and the almost cartoonish border and text. What social commentary do you see in Blake's interpretation of this religious subject? Curator: Blake often used biblical narratives to critique the social and political structures of his time. The elaborate frame, juxtaposed with the raw emotion of Job's family, suggests a tension between divine promise and earthly suffering. How might Blake be challenging the viewer's perception of faith and societal norms through this composition? Editor: So the image becomes a stage for exploring those tensions? It gives a lot to think about! Curator: Exactly. Blake’s radical vision was to make viewers question what they believe.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-job-and-his-family-restored-to-prosperity-a00032
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This is an illustration to chapter 42, verses 12-13 of the Book of Job. The main title comes from the opening of verse 12. The moral of the whole series of Blake's illustrations is set out in the inscription on the altar in the bottom margin. This is an adaptation of words from verse 6, chapter 11, of St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews. The composition is a counterpart to the first of Blake's Job engravings which is also shown here. In that illustration the musical instruments hang unused in a tree. Here they are being played in praise of God. In the first print the sun is setting, whereas here it is rising, a powerful symbol of redemption. Gallery label, August 2004
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