When a reminder came in that the exhibition on William Blake (1757-1827) at The Morgan Library & Museum was closing soon, I emailed David Sandlin, an artist and illustrator who works in the narrative mode: would he join me for a walk-through and dialogue on this fascinating artist?

We met this morning and a discussion immediately began as to why the subject of Blake, a visionary and non-conformist, causes such mixed reactions among artists today. "It took me a while to appreciate Blake," David said. "As a teenager I saw his art on the album cover of a band I wasn't interested in. Also the fact that he was associated with Hippie culture, which was exactly what I was rebelling against at the time."

Left to right: William Blake, Satan, after a design by Henry Fuseli, etching and engraving, first state, ca. 1789; William Blake, Hell, ca. 1805, Pen and black and gray ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over traces of graphite; William Blake, Behemoth and Leviathan,” from Illustrations for the Book of Job, (ca. 1805–1810), Pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over traces of graphite. Courtesy The Morgan Library and Museum.

The exhibition at the Morgan occupies a stately entry hall and one gallery where more than 100 prints, watercolors and illustrated books of poetry are on view. The show includes two series of spectacular watercolors that are rarely seen in their entirety. Among them are the twenty-one studies for Blake's landmark illustrations for the Book of Job, which is considered one of his greatest works.

The paintings combine Blake's incredible abilities as a draftsman and designer, the core of his achievement as a printmaker - and his talent as a painter. The scenes come to life with rich characterizations of the players in the story: the unfortunate Job, his wife and three daughters, his supporters, and his nemesis, Satan - who is portrayed as the opposite, but not always dark side, of the supreme being. God is rendered in human terms, his worries taking a toll on his furrowed face. In one scene he seems completely worn down by his concerns for Job, who has been "smote with boils" by Satan.

The god of the underworld is also seen in human terms as he struggles in his revolt against the heavenly beings. Satan's fall is rendered in vertiginous detail; his agony is palpable, prompting viewers to sympathize with the devil. This is a example of how Blake often got into trouble with the establishment. He was a non-conformist during a time when many opposed to the Church of England had already fled to the New World.

"Blake was an eccentric, a revolutionary who operated within the system," said David. "He was a member of the Royal Academy, but was never willing to pander to the authorities or to the audience he needed in order to earn an income."

The exhibition texts mentioned that Blake had formed a unique religion with characters he invented to fulfill his own spiritual quest. "Yes, and his work becomes intensely personal as he illustrates Biblical texts drawing from his own ideas about religion and the politics of the time," David added. In fact, the timeline shows that Blake was arrested and tried for sedition in 1804. The charges were dismissed but his characterization of the judge and his accusers worked its way into a subsequent series on the poet John Milton, which is also included in the show.

"When you see this," David said, "you begin to realize that a large part of the history of art has been a history of illustration, from religious texts to folk tales, to the great poets, such as Milton and Dante. With Blake, you always get a sense of his subversive ideas in his scenes from the Bible, which he interprets in terms of his own beliefs and cosmology. And he's promoting these ideas to the public through his illustrations for books."

I wondered aloud if there were any contemporary illustrators who likely drew inspiration from Blake's example. "You should take a look at R. Crumb's Book of Genesis," said David, "to see an artist dealing with similar images and issues. And then there's Henry Darger, over at the folk art museum" he added, "who only made art for his own consumption; he never had an audience for his work during his lifetime."

As we waited to retrieve our coats, I asked David about his view of Blake after seeing the show. "As a printmaker, I really appreciated seeing this collection. You can see in the work that the prints were more important to Blake than the paintings, which were actually working drawings for the prints. That puts Blake right up there with my other favorite artists who were also printmakers: Goya, Otto Dix, James Ensor, H.C. Westermann, and Peter Saul."

William Blake's World: "A New Heaven Is Begun" continues through January 3, 2010. The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue at 36^th Street, New York, NY. 212.685.0008.

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