ABSTRACT
Worked on between The Four Zoas and Jerusalem, the watercolors can be read in conjunction with Blake’s attempt to visualize a way to transform the linear narrative of the earlier epic into the kind of cycle that would inform the later prophecy. Job and His Family, conveys the state of the hero who, like Albion, has privileged the rational faculty over the spiritual. The illustration exposes problems with the exoteric interpretation of Job. To begin with the obvious, as noted by most commentators, the musical instruments suspended around the tree indicate that Job has neglected his spiritual development. As a transition between the second and third phases, Job’s Evil Dreams depicts the need to recognize the control a pre-determined horizon of expectations exercises over the mind. The cycle is completed in the final picture, Job and His Family Restored to Prosperity, the correction of the introductory Job and His Family.
