Songs of Innocence: Spring (second plate)
Original title: Songs of Innocence: Spring (second plate)
kurzbeschreibung
William Blake's plate 'Songs of Innocence: Spring (second plate)' from 1789, printed around 1825, unites text and image in a hand-coloured relief etching. A child and a sheep appear amid ornamental flourishes. The sheet belongs to Blake's celebrated series of illuminated books.
Description
A rising, flowing line sweeps down from the top, hinting at a figure. Below, a child sits playing with a sheep, set against a warm ground of blue and orange and entwined with green tendrils. The verses 'Little Girl' and 'Little Lamb' stand within a slanted, decorated frame. Tones stay warm, and the figures look stylised and naive.
Context
The 'Songs of Innocence' form part of Blake's series of illuminated books, which he printed and coloured himself. The second plate for 'Spring' was made only around 1825, decades after the first publication of 1789. With relief etching Blake found a way to combine text and image in a single operation. The sheet echoes his Romantic view of childhood innocence and closeness to nature.
Impact
The warmth of the colours and the naive approach create an idyllic, almost dreamlike mood. The ornamental frame and the interweaving of word and image invite close looking. The figure floating above the playing child conveys timeless calm and harmony.
Technique
In relief etching the dark lines remain while the light areas are etched away. Printing was done in orange-red ink, followed by hand-colouring with watercolour and shell gold. This elaborate handwork gives each impression its own character.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)