I've been staring at this Blake plate/computer wall paper for a couple weeks now. I think it's his least impressive plate in the Gates of Paradise; in fact, I would say it's sloppily executed. The figures within the image are barely more than stick figures. This looks like it may have been engraved by a child.
Which is oddly appropriate since its sentiment is definitely childish. The caption reads "I WANT! I WANT!", which almost iconically defines childish selfishness and, at the same time, whimsy. The child says, "I WANT the moon!" and a ladder appears to climb to the moon. What the child wants the child must have. And yet would we want a world where children did not want the moon? Where childish whimsy was dead?
This is one of the rare images in this series that fits into the original conception of "For the Children." It seems to be for children (though it should be noted that only a few years before Blake did his satire "Island in the Moon," which is definitely a critique on adult, not childish, preoccupations). It is also one of the rare images that Blake did not alter in bringing it into the newer "For the Sexes" format.
Though, looking at the figure climbing the ladder, if anyone has ever put forward a theory that Blake had been visited by aliens from outer space (surely someone has), this figure would make an interesting case, since he (she?) seems to be wearing a space helmet.
I have to confess I'm glad to get this one off my computer as wallpaper. There's just not enough here, visually or textually, to feed the viewer used to the rich fare of Blake's other works.
Posted by jeb at February 13, 2005 11:24 PM | TrackBack