Showing posts with label romanticism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romanticism. Show all posts

4.4.25

Interpreting William Blake’s ‘London’: A Deep Dive into 18th Century British Society

In this post, we’re delving into the depths of the London scene portrayed by William Blake, the renowned 18th-century British romantic poet. His evocative poem, “London”, paints a stark picture of urban life at the onset of the Industrial Revolution, a time when the agrarian society was fading into history, making way for the hustle and bustle of city life.
Original Print of Blake's "London"
Blake’s poem is a potent social critique, where the language is economical, yet the power of his word choice is profound. He makes use of repeated phrases and words, drawing attention to the dichotomy of city life and nature, the man-made versus the natural, the stark reality versus the fairy tale expectation.

“London” is not a mere depiction of city life. Rather, it presents a narrator wandering through its streets, observing and internalizing the miseries of humanity he encounters. There’s an aura of loneliness and unhappiness, a sense of disconnect despite being surrounded by others, which resonates with anyone who has ever experienced the anonymity of urban life.

Blake’s narrator points to the marks of weakness and exhaustion on the faces of those coming from factories, critiquing the exploitative labor conditions of the time. The poet also highlights societal apathy towards the suffering of young chimney sweepers, a tragic reminder of the city’s dark secrets. The chimney sweepers, who were often children, worked in deplorable conditions, their plight remaining unnoticed or ignored by the very society that benefitted from their labor.

Blake doesn’t hold back in his critique of institutional indifference. The Church and the State, he argues, are indifferent to human suffering and injustice. The poem illustrates the plight of soldiers shedding blood for the interests of the state and the harlots who were often inflicted with diseases, only to pass them onto their customers who would unknowingly bring them back home.

The poem doesn’t offer a solution. Instead, it acts as a protest, crying out against societal ills and apathy. Blake presents a vivid picture of a society manacled by its own despair, bound by the chains of its inaction. By voicing out these atrocities, the poet forces us to confront our own complacency and challenges us to question what we would do in the face of such human misery.

Blake, who was also a skilled printmaker, often supplemented his poems with visual imagery. For “London”, he illustrates a young boy leading an old man and a child warming up by a fire, which further highlights the pervasiveness of suffering in the city.

In essence, Blake’s “London” is not just a depiction of city life, but a thought-provoking critique of society and a plea for empathy and action. Although it doesn’t end on a note of hope, it prompts us to reflect on our role in society and to consider how we can alleviate the suffering around us.

Hey, Teachers!
Teach the poem "London" to students in middle and high school with a jam-packed teacher resource on William Blake's London and the Industrial Revolution.

16.12.23

Snapshot of History: Unveiling Maxime Du Camp's Salt Print Masterpiece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Discover a rare Maxime Du Camp salt print at the Met, a pioneering work of travel photography with ties to Gustave Le Gray and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

I’m in the Metropolitan Museum of Art today; I am captivated by a remarkable piece of photographic history - a salt print from the French photographer Maxime Du Camp. This print, possibly developed in Gustave Le Gray’s studio, holds a rich narrative beyond its visual allure.


Maxime Du Camp, a journalist with no prior experience in photography, learned the craft under the tutelage of Le Gray shortly before embarking on an ambitious journey to Egypt and the Near East in 1849. Accompanied by Gustave Flaubert, Du Camp set out to meticulously document ancient monuments and archaeological sites. Their expedition, which extended up the Nile and into Palestine, Turkey, and Greece, culminated in the influential album “Egypte, Nubie, Palestine et Syrie,” published in 1852. This collection, showcasing 125 photographs, was a pioneering effort in the field of travel photography and earned Du Camp instant acclaim.

What makes this piece at the Met even more intriguing is its possible provenance. It is thought to have once belonged to the esteemed architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The print in the Met’s collection, part of a private printing that goes beyond the published edition, is notable for its warm color and luminescence, traits that enhance its historical and aesthetic value.

25.12.20

Christmas Day Photography Journal: Romantic Musings On Found Objects (And Some Tibetan-style Momo)

Inspired by the Romantics, I find inspiration in the everyday material world.

Chained bicycle on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens

A bike covered in pigeon droppings. OK. That’s ewwwww. But. Look. 

Cheesy grits, egg, and green onion

A bowl of grits, green onions, and cheesy eggs. 

Greig Roselli at an art bookshop

Me looking at art books. 

A snapshot from my favorite mobile game @taptapfish

Homemade Tibetan-style dumplings (known as “Momo”) and a pretty portrait shot of the famous penguin sculpture in Jackson Heights, Queens. It’s my way of finding beauty, elegance, and looking up from the gutter to see the stars (to paraphrase Oscar Wilde).