De verdomde boom en het platgeslagen graan

De verdomde boom en het platgeslagen graan is a profound print created by the English Romantic poet and artist William Blake between 1820 and 1821. Executed on paper, this piece exemplifies Blake’s highly personalized approach to visual theology and allegory, characteristic of his late period. Although specific technical details often vary among Blake’s surviving works, this classification as a print confirms its creation through mechanical reproduction methods, likely utilizing engraving or relief etching, techniques essential to the artist’s unique practice of combining text and image.

The imagery centers on themes of blight and destruction, suggesting a scene of moral or divine judgment. The ‘accursed tree’ is a powerful symbolic motif often associated with sin or the consequences of moral failing within Blake's extensive mythological system. The accompanying detail of the ‘flattened grain’ heightens the sense of ruin and futility, depicting the devastating impact of the curse on nature’s bounty. Blake’s masterful command of line and shadow imbues the composition with a dramatic intensity, drawing the viewer into his deeply complex, visionary world.

This important work is held within the esteemed prints collection of the Rijksmuseum. As a crucial example of early 19th-century British printmaking, it continues to inspire study into Blake’s distinct iconography and his influence on subsequent generations of artists and Symbolists. Since much of Blake's remarkable output is now available through the public domain, the unique nature of his complex prints, like De verdomde boom en het platgeslagen graan, remains accessible to scholars and enthusiasts worldwide. The sheer originality of Blake’s vision secures his legacy as one of the most singular figures in Western art history.