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William Blake

St. Paul Preaching at Athens, 1803

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

St. Paul Preaching at Athens

Year

1803

Medium

Pen and ink, watercolor, black chalk with wet brush, and scraping on wove paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

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"

Type

Credit

Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Gustav Radeke

Object Number

31.280

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

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

June 5 - October 26, 2008

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is St. Paul Preaching at Athens with the accession number of 31.280. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.