Job's Despair

Job's Despair by William Blake, created in 1825, is a masterful example of the artist’s mature engraving technique. This work, executed as an engraving on thin paper, belongs to a larger portfolio of illustrations dedicated to the biblical Book of Job. As a defining figure of the British Romantic movement during the period spanning 1801 to 1825, Blake utilized printmaking to disseminate his highly symbolic and visionary interpretations of scripture. The piece is classified as a portfolio print and is currently held within the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art.

The engraving technique employed here highlights Blake’s precise control over line and shadow, essential for conveying the profound emotional and theological weight of the scene. The title itself suggests a powerful depiction of suffering and spiritual crisis, central themes in the artist's oeuvre. The stark contrast inherent in the engraving process mirrors the sharp dichotomies often explored in Blake's narrative illustrations: despair versus hope, the earthly versus the divine, and physical suffering versus spiritual awakening. Blake viewed the story of Job as a deep allegory for the soul’s necessary journey through tribulation and ultimate redemption.

As part of a crucial body of work defining the later career of Blake, this piece demonstrates his innovative approach to narrative art, maintaining the symbolic intensity found throughout his career while refining the technical execution of his prints. Because of its age and profound cultural significance, the original material is preserved carefully in the National Gallery of Art. However, the lasting importance of the series has ensured that high-quality prints derived from the original plates are widely available; these works often enter the public domain, allowing global appreciation for this unique interpretation of a classic biblical text.