Colinet's Journey: Milestone Marked 'LXII Miles to London', from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
Original title: Colinet's Journey: Milestone Marked 'LXII Miles to London', from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
kurzbeschreibung
William Blake made this wood engraving in 1821, a night landscape with a solitary figure and a signpost. It belongs to the illustrations for Robert John Thornton's 'Pastorals of Virgil' and is in the second state.
Description
A dark figure, its outlines hard to pin down, stands in the foreground looking toward the path. On the right rises a signpost inscribed 'LXII Miles to London'. Hills and trees climb in the distance, giving the view a quiet yet desolate mood. Greys and blacks dominate; sparse light falls from the upper left, accenting shadows and contours.
Context
The illustrations were made for the 1821 edition of Thornton's 'Pastorals of Virgil', a schoolbook. John Linnell, a friend and patron of Blake, prompted the wood engravings. Blake was then 63 and looked back on an extensive oeuvre; this series counts among his last major commissions.
Impact
The reduced colour and bare lighting call up a melancholy, mysterious impression. The lonely figure and the signpost prompt reflection and draw the viewer into the night landscape.
Technique
In wood engraving the design is cut into a woodblock and then printed. The second state suggests wear or reworking. Fine lines and the contrast of light and dark attest to Blake's sure handling of this medium.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)