Art and romanticism in the nineteenth century

Art: Romanticism

Not immediately recognized for his contribution to the visual art world, William Blake is perhaps better known for his poetry. However, the Englishman received formal training in drawing and was officially apprenticed to an engraver in London in the late eighteenth century. Blake's interest in metaphysics is apparent in all his productions, especially in allegorical pieces based on the Old Testament like his "Nebuchadnezzar," (completed in 1795). Blake's color print, finished in pen and watercolor, is a typical example of the artist's chosen media; he rejected oil paints. Like all art classified as Romantic, "Nebuchadnezzar" is intensely individualistic and introspective. Blake's preoccupation with symbolism and esoterica is apparent in the subject matter as well as its execution. Drawing upon the Biblical allegory of a headstrong king who dreams (and later realizes) that his mind degenerates into that of a beast, Blake visually interprets the book of Daniel. "Nebuchadnezzar," an emotionally-wrought and hence Romantic work of art, is a direct reaction against the prevailing rationalist, materialistic worldview. The piece is Blake's interpretation of a dream within a religious narrative, a subjective, exotic, emotional, and visionary execution of an already allegorical subject matter.

The starkness of King Nebuchadnezzar's nudity and his centrality to the painting are striking and evocative. An all-powerful king who otherwise controlled and dominated his people, Nebuchadnezzar is witnessed here as a beast crawling on all fours. His hands and feet are claw-like, alluding to the Bible. Likewise, his hair and beard are mane-like. The Biblical story describes Nebuchadnezzar's hair as being like that of an eagle; so, too, his talons. God punished Nebuchadnezzar's ruthlessness by transforming the man into an animal. His nudity, portrayed by Blake, drives home how the king has been stripped by his civility. Nebuchadnezzar is half man, half beast, and his body contains elements of both. His intense muscularity could be that of human or animal; his strength is purely physical.

Blake's subjective interpretation of the tale of Nebuchadnezzar is seen particularly through the character's gaping eyes. Full of fear and torment, the downward-gazing eyes of the once great king mirror Blake's sympathy with Nebuchadnezzar's fall from grace. The greatness of God, God's power to transform man to beast, is evident in the shock visible on the visage of Nebuchadnezzar. Blake's own interpretation of the allegory is respectful and imaginative, both quintessentially Romantic qualities. The figure appears to be trapped within a nightmare, as Nebuchadnezzar was in the biblical tale. Blake's choice to portray a religious dream and a similarly religious interpretation of that dream, reflect the artist's emphasis on God over science. This breach with the contemporary preference for reason over imagination demonstrates Blake's Romantic tendencies. Dreams are irrational and individualistic.

Nebuchadnezzar dreamt that a celestial being ordered him to chop down a fruitful tree, evident in the hazy background of Blake's painting.