An Allegory of the Bible. Verso: The Shins of an Écorché Male Figure c. 1780 - 1785

Editor: Here we have William Blake's watercolor, *An Allegory of the Bible*. I'm struck by the figures ascending a staircase and the floating, open book. How do you interpret this work, focusing on its visual structure? Curator: The composition hinges on the interplay between the figures, the architectural elements, and the symbolic book. Note how the linear perspective of the staircase draws the eye upward, creating a sense of ascension. The figures themselves are arranged in distinct groupings, each engaging with the book in their own way. This structural division emphasizes the multifaceted nature of biblical interpretation. Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered the groupings in such detail. It's all about visual relationships. Curator: Precisely. The open book, devoid of legible text, becomes a space for projection, a site of interpretive possibility enabled through Blake's use of color and placement in relationship to the figures. Editor: I appreciate your attention to the compositional choices and how they impact the meaning.