The Lord Answering Job out of the Whirlwind
1825
Medium
engraving on thick paper
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1700
Art Historical Context
William Blake's *The Lord Answering Job of the Whirlwind*1825) is a powerful engraving from his monumental series *Illustrations of the Book Job*, one of the final masterpieces. Depicting a pivotal moment from the biblical Book of Job, it shows the divine voice emerging from a swirling vortex to address Job's profound suffering and questions of faith. Blake, a visionary poet and printmaker of the era (1757–1827), infused this scene with his mystical imagination, portraying God as a radiant, bearded figure amid dynamic clouds and ethereal flames, emphasizing themes of divine mystery and human e...
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...