Colinet Resting by Night

Colinet Resting by Night by William Blake, created in 1821, is a significant example of British graphic art during the 1801 to 1825 period. Executed as a wood engraving, the small-scale print showcases Blake’s distinctive linear and highly compressed figurative style. The classification as a print emphasizes the importance of this medium in the artist’s output, especially late in his career when he revisited illustration and graphic media to translate his visionary concepts into reproducible physical forms.

This piece utilizes the challenging technique of wood engraving, which involves working on the end-grain of a hard block. This method allowed Blake to achieve exceptionally dense lines and intense contrasts between black and white, lending the final composition a powerful, stark clarity. Although the specific literary reference for the figure named Colinet is not always explicitly documented, the work aligns thematically with Blake's exploration of mythological, pastoral, or deeply spiritual subjects, rendered here with typical intensity. The depiction of the figure resting by night suggests themes of solitude, contemplation, or perhaps the transition between waking consciousness and spiritual vision—recurring motifs central to the British Romantic movement.

The work represents one of the highly technical prints produced by Blake near the end of his life, demonstrating his profound mastery over the demanding graphic arts. Although produced within the strictures of the early 19th century, Blake’s revolutionary approach to printmaking continues to define modern conceptual illustration. This important piece of graphic art is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Today, many of Blake’s illustrations, including works related to Colinet Resting by Night, are widely accessible through public domain initiatives, ensuring continued study of this influential period master.