“Newton”
This wonderful monotype, titled “Newton”, is by the English Romantic artist, William Blake, and dates to 1795, and was reworked in 1805. It is a copper engraving that has been embellished with ink and watercolor.
In this piece, Newton is sitting naked on the bottom of the ocean floor, drawing a diagram with a compass. He is so engrossed in his work, that he cannot see beyond his compass. Newton is completely immersed in his task of imposing a rational order in an otherwise chaotic world through discovering the laws of his physical world. Blake thought Newton a misguided hero focused on the wrong aspects of life. And has said, “Art is the Tree of Life. Science is the Tree of Death”.
As one who opposed the Enlightenment, William Blake was against the single mindedness and vision of scientific materialism. He vehemently opposed Isaac Newton and his ideas. From an early age, Blake claimed to have seen a number of visions which were often religions in nature and were the main reason that Blake pursued more religious subjects.
“Newton” is currently in the collections of the Tate Museum in London, England.
For more on William Blake, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
