Thenot Remonstrates With Colinet, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"

Thenot Remonstrates With Colinet, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" by William Blake, executed in 1821, is a masterful example of the artist's late style applied to wood engraving. This print, representing the second known state, was created as part of a series of seventeen illustrations for Robert John Thornton’s School Classics, intended for students learning Latin. While the text suggested traditional classical illustration, Blake rendered the pastoral scene through a highly individualized, visionary lens, emphasizing stark contrasts, heavily outlined forms, and dense symbolism, marking a significant return to relief printing for the artist.

The composition captures the titular confrontation where the older shepherd Thenot advises the younger, melancholic poet Colinet. Blake utilized the small scale of the engraving block to maximize dramatic effect, conveying a powerful sense of primeval innocence and philosophical despair. The figure of Thenot, representing conventional wisdom, is visually contrasted with the dejected Colinet. The surrounding rural scene integrates the subject matter, showing figures of men debating philosophy amidst their flock of sheep. The implied presence of women and the overall pastoral setting place the confrontation within a traditional human and natural context.

These distinctive prints became highly influential among later Victorian artists for their raw power and rejection of prevailing illustrative norms. The original work resides in the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving a vital chapter in the history of British graphic arts. Due to the age of the piece, high-resolution scans and public domain reproductions of this historic Blake engraving are widely available today.