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Revolution and Romanticism
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A facsimile reprint in the Revolution & Romanticism series chosen and introduced by Jonathan Wordsworth 174 x 110mm 86 pages Cloth Paperback |
WILLIAM BLAKE A Descriptive Catalogue of Pictures, Poetical and Historical Inventions 1809 In 1809 Blake was little known, and his exhibition, held in a private house in Soho, attracted few visitors. But Henry Crabb Robinson came, and so did Charles Lamb, who later described the pictures as ‘hard, dry, yet with grace’ and the catalogue as ‘mystical and full of vision’. Five of the sixteen pictures exhibited have been lost; but among those that remain are The Spiritual Form of Nelson guiding Leviathan, The Spiritual Form of Pitt guiding Behemoth, and The Canterbury Pilgrims, from Chaucer. Blake’s text for the catalogue is both commentary and manifesto, throwing light not just on the pictures but also on the illuminated books. ‘Colouring does not depend in where the Colours are put, but on where the the lights and darks are put, and all depends on Form and Outline.’ And again: ‘The great and golden rule of art, as well as life, is this: That the more distinct, sharp, and wirey the bounding line, the more perfect the work of art; and the less keen and sharp, the greater is the evidence of weak imitation, plagiarism , and bungling.’ Cloth £35 $55 Paperback £12.50 $21 His poems have hitherto been sold only in Manuscript...There is one to a Tiger, which I have heard recited...which is glorious. |
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Revolution and Romanticism | Hibernia | |
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