Perfect symmetry... As the “vision” in its title suggests, this is a typically personal take on the Last Judgment by the Romantic outlier poet and artist. It follows a traditional, symmetrical model: Christ is enthroned in heaven, with masses of bodies ascending to his right, and falling from his left.
God complex... As with other depictions of the religious theme, part of its appeal is the overwhelming detail and swirling energy. This watercolour predates a lost painting of 1808, of which Blake wrote: “When distant [the figures] appear as One Man but as you approach they appear Multitudes of Nations.”
Divine inspiration... For the artist, though, these figures weren’t meant to represent people, but rather states of mind. He saw Christ as the imagination.
Head case... It has been suggested that the structure resembles a skull. Blake’s teeming nudes might be thoughts rising and falling, with imagination and truth embraced and wrong-headed ideas cast aside. His Last Judgment, then, is a moment of epiphany.
William Blake in Sussex: Visions of Albion, Petworth House, to 25 March
