Job's Evil Dreams

Job's Evil Dreams is a profound line engraving created by William Blake between 1825 and 1826. This intricate print is one of 21 plates that comprise Blake’s masterful series, Illustrations of the Book of Job, which represents the pinnacle of his achievement in the printed arts and his final major completed work.

The composition captures a moment of intense psychological and spiritual distress, detailing the suffering of the righteous male figure of Job. Tormented in his sleep, Job is depicted on his bed, surrounded by demonic figures that plague his subconscious. Blake employs strong contrast and meticulous cross-hatching, characteristic of the best 19th-century engraving, to define the scene, emphasizing the overwhelming darkness of Job’s despair. In the periphery, terrifying personifications of evil and temptation are discernible. The integration of symbolic elements, such as the prominent depiction of snakes and serpentine forms, underscores the nefarious, deceitful influences responsible for Job's trials, aligning with ancient and biblical iconography.

Blake’s decision to execute the series in engraving rather than etching allowed for a greater control over tonal variation, creating a dramatic, ethereal quality well suited to illustrating Old Testament scripture. The series, including this specific work, is celebrated for its visionary power, condensing vast theological concepts into concentrated visual form. The piece is classified formally as a print and resides in the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As this foundational work of Romantic-era British art has passed into the public domain, high-quality prints and reproductions of Blake’s pivotal interpretations of Job remain widely accessible for study and appreciation.