Paintings, Drawings, and Prints by William Blake Guest Curated by John Frame
March 12, 2011-June 20, 2011
Works on Paper Room, Huntington Art Gallery
One of the best things that happened as a direct result of the exhibition at the Huntington was being asked to guest curate an exhibition of the works of William Blake. As many of you know, the Huntington has one of the finest collections of Blake’s work in the country. For many of us working in the border areas of the art world, Blake stands in as one very striking example of what can be accomplished through diligence and devotion to one’s calling over a lifetime, regardless of how much or little one is recognized for their work. For me he is a true artist’s artist and one that is consistently satisfying to spend time with, whether he’s writing, engraving or painting.
Several of the works in the exhibition are watercolors whose pigments are considered to be fugitive in nature. As a result these works are only rarely seen, perhaps as infrequently as once in a 10 year period. There are 20 pieces in the exhibition including several from the Book of Job, from Milton’s Paradise Lost, and from Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Also included is the rarely seen painting on canvas of Lot and His Daughters, a work that once belonged to Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I hope you can catch the exhibition in the Huntington Art Gallery before it closes on June 20, 2011.