St. Matthew

St. Matthew is a profound tempera painting executed by William Blake in 1799. This influential work on canvas belongs to a significant period of the artist’s career when he was developing his distinctive method of fusing classical forms with intensely spiritual and imaginative subject matter. The choice of tempera, a challenging and unforgiving medium, lends the piece a luminous yet controlled texture, distancing it from the popular oil painting traditions of late 18th-century England.

Blake, an influential figure in the transition between the Neoclassical and Romantic periods, often utilized dry techniques like tempera and fresco to achieve the graphic precision he admired in early Renaissance masters. The composition focuses on the Evangelist, typically portrayed in a state of contemplative or visionary rapture, reflecting Blake’s lifelong preoccupation with prophets, spiritual enlightenment, and biblical narrative. His highly personal and idiosyncratic interpretation of religious themes places him apart from his contemporaries and aligns with the emerging counter-cultural artistic movements in England at the close of the century.

Although originally intended for specific patrons, the enduring artistic merit of Blake’s religious visions ensures the continuing study of his work. Due to its age and cultural significance, high-quality reproductions and prints derived from Blake's art are widely available through the public domain, allowing scholars and enthusiasts globally to study his unique style. This critical example of the artist’s output is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it serves as a crucial document of Blake’s unique contribution to English painting history.