Image

A muted painting of Saint Paul standing on an alter with his arms extended wide open in a moment of exaltation, dramatized by fine lines of black ink and watercolor.
A muted painting of Saint Paul standing on an alter with his arms extended wide open in a moment of exaltation, dramatized by fine lines of black ink and watercolor.
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William Blake

St. Paul Preaching at Athens

Description

Maker

William Blake (British, 1757-1827)

Title

St. Paul Preaching at Athens

Year

1803

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

watercolor, pen and ink

Supports

Dimensions

45.7 x 31.1 cm (18 x 12 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in ink in LL: "Wm. B. 1803"

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

31.280

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

Paul stands like a giant at the center of this drawing, his arms raised as he preaches the Christian gospel to the people of Athens. The scene’s stark spirituality is enhanced by William Blake’s use of color and a range of media. A subdued palette of ochre, blue, and pale pink watercolor is reserved for the figures, with patches of transparent and opaque color layered over outlines drawn in pen and ink. For the background, he employed ink, chalk, scraping, and stippling-the application of small dots to create more complex textures.

From Dürer to Van Gogh
Gifts from Eliza Greene Radeke and Helen Metcalf Danforth
Jun 05, 2008 – Oct 26, 2008

Label copy

Commissioned by Thomas Butts in 1803, Blake painted this watercolor as one of a hundred intended for an illustrated Bible never realized. Distinctive of Blake’s style is the hieratic composition and strict frontality of St. Paul as he preaches to the diminished figures below, representing the Ages of Man. Blake focused on the rapt intensity of the apostle’s face and on his arms outstretched in exaltation. His application of stippled watercolor creates an aura of radiating spiritual power around St. Paul.

The English Eye
British Painting from the 17th to the 19th Centuries; Contemporary British Art; Old Master British Drawings and Watercolors; British Picture Books for Children; Three Centuries of British Decorative Arts, Textiles, and Costume
Jun 21, 1991 – Sep 01, 1991
Master Drawing from the Museum and a Private Collection
Jun 19, 1946 – Oct 27, 1946

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
St. Paul Preaching at Athens, 1803
Pen and ink, watercolor, black chalk with wet brush, and scraping on wove paper
45.7 x 31.1 cm (18 x 12 1/4 inches)
Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Gustav Radeke 31.280

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