Satan Smiting Job with Boils

Art Historical Context

William Blake's *Satan Smiting Job with Boils* (1825) is a powerful engraving from his monumental series *Illustrations of the Book of Job*, drawing from the biblical tale of Job's trials. Created late in Blake's life, it captures the moment when Satan afflicts the righteous Job with painful boils, symbolizing profound suffering and divine testing. Blake, a visionary Romantic artist and poet, infused his works with mystical spirituality, blending intricate line work with dramatic contrasts to evoke human anguish and cosmic struggle. Rendered as an engraving on thick paper—a medium Blake mastered through his innovative relief etching technique—this print exemplifies his genius as both artist and printer. The bold, expressive lines and dynamic composition heighten the emotional intensity, making the divine and demonic forces palpably alive. Blake's self-published series of 22 engravings revolutionized book illustration, bridging poetry, prophecy, and visual art. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection (Department CG-E, Portfolio classification), this work highlights Blake's enduring influence on printmaking and Romanticism. Visitors are drawn to its raw energy, a testament to 19th-century innovation in capturing eternal themes of faith and endurance.

About the Artist

William Blake · 1757–1827

William Blake (1757–1827) stands as one of the most visionary and unconventional artists in British history, a poet-painter-printmaker whose mystical imagination and radical vision profoundly shaped the Romantic movement. Born in London's Soho district, Blake experienced visions from childhood—claiming to see angels in trees at age eight—and these spiritual encounters would guide his art throughou...