Contributors

On the poet and artist William Blake-my homage




 The Blake Prize is named after the legendary British artist and poet William Blake (1757-1827) whose broad range of artistic and poetic innovations, visionary imagination and radical politics made him an outsider in his day.

The Prize was instigated by Jesuit priest, Michael Scott and a Jewish businessman, Richard Morley. They hoped that the establishment of a prize would encourage artists of disparate styles and religious allegiances to create significant works of art with religious content. It has been operating since 1951.

Blake has directly inspired one of the works in my current exhibition

Attached are images of the frontispiece to his collection of poems Europe and my homage a photo-manipulation of Nicollo's image in both images the main protagonists are naked and stretching forward towards the viewer and the picture has a circular rhythm
 My image of the three ignudos gives me the chance to explore the cycle of contemplation, awareness and engagement with the viewer that I wish to engender with my art


I have been looking further into Blake's beliefs as part of preparing my submission to the emerging artists section of the Blake prize


in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell concerning religion he writes
All Bibles or sacred codes have been the causes of the following Errors.
1. That Man has two real existing principles Viz: a Body & a Soul.
2. That Energy, calld Evil, is alone from the Body, & that Reason, calld Good, is alone from the Soul.
3. That God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.
But the following Contraries to these are True
1. Man has no Body distinct from his Soul for that calld Body is a portion of Soul discernd by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.
2. Energy is the only life and is from the Body and Reason is the bound or outward circumference of Energy.
3. Energy is Eternal Delight. (Plate 4, E34)


So both images acknowledge the integrity of the sacred and the body

I want to acknowledge the help today of my friend  writer and monk Will Day who has been helping me choose the final works to be submitted based on their spiritual and emotional impact.


I will be at the Convent this Saturday afternoon if anyone is thinking of visiting and then Sunday week

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