Block Museum Presents ‘Blockbuster’ Exhibit on William Blake

Evanston RoundTable, Sept. 21, 2017

Northwestern University’s Block Museum is readying a major exhibit on the English poet and artist William Blake, who died in obscurity in 1827 at the age of 69.

Blake illustration to “The Shepherd” from Songs of Innocence, 1789

Since then countless artists, radicals, critics, and connoisseurs have discovered Blake’s intense and passionate vision and radical approach to art and verse, especially in the second half of the 20th Century, said chief curator Stephen Eisenman, Professor of Art History at Northwestern. As he writes in the exhibit catalogue: “…every generation that needs a model of independence, imagination, and resistance to law and authority turns to [Blake].”

The exhibit, titled “William Blake and the Age of Aquarius,” celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, which Blake helped to inspire, Prof. Eisenman said. As evidence he cites Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and Bob Dylan, all of whom quoted from Blake’s lyrics. Beat poet Allen Ginsberg claimed to hear Blake’s voice in his head, and became obsessed with his work. Visual artists such as the famous rock poster illustrators found inspiration in Blake’s frequently phantasmagoric prints. A wide range of modern artists, such as Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Maurice Sendak, and Jackson Pollock appreciated and appropriated Blake’s imagery. Writers as diverse as Walt Whitman, James Joyce, and Jack Kerouac admired Blake’s poetry.

“This is the first exhibition to explore Blake’s impact on 20th century popular culture, and is populated by beats, hippies, poets, rockers, and artistic voices of the counterculture,” said Prof. Eisenman. “Blake’s protests against the conventions and repressions of his own society became a model for many young Americans, particularly those disillusioned by social conformity, consumerism, racial and gender discrimination, environmental degradation, and the Vietnam War.”

The exhibit runs through March 11, 2018, and will feature a public opening celebration titled “Music, Art, and Aquarius” on Sept. 23, followed by numerous lectures and presentations that reflect Blake’s protean achievements. Featured are more than 200 paintings, drawings, photographs, films, posters, and other media from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. In addition, there are more than 45 rare Blake engravings and pages from illuminated books on loan from the Yale Center for British Art; The Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia; the Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections at Northwestern; as well as one private collection.

“This exhibition plays to Block’s strengths, which has a history of placing art in a broad historic and cultural context by exhibiting together art, archives, popular, and material culture,” said Lisa Corrin, the Museum’s Director. “This approach exemplifies Block’s mission as a teaching museum, and the University-wide emphasis on cross-disciplinary inquiry.”

“Blake is full of contradictions, he’s difficult to teach,” said Prof. Eisenman. “He doesn’t fit into any categories. That’s one of the reasons I decided I wanted to take him up in a major exhibit.

“In art, he pioneered the technique for printing words and paintings on the same page. In literature, his poems had a profound influence on generations of writers. In society, he championed democracy and equality and rejected establishment law and morality. He is a salient figure for our time.”

The exhibit has been in the works for years. Prof. Eisenman originally approached the Block in 2010 to suggest a show on Blake and his influence on subsequent styles, such as Art Nouveau. At the suggestion of Ms. Corrin, the focus was subsequently narrowed for greater impact.

Here is the schedule:

Sept. 23: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Music, Art, and Aquarius,” a family-friendly opening at the Block Museum, 40 Arts Circle Drive, on the south end of Northwestern’s campus. “The event seeks to capture the imaginative spirit that unites Blake and the Age of Aquarius,” said Lindsay Bosch, Museum Communications Manager. This includes Old Town School of Folk Music leading a counterculture jam session with songs from the ’60s; DJs from campus radio station WNUR DJs playing songs of the ’60s; Poetry While You Wait, a collective of poets with typewriters who write poems on the spot prompted by audience suggestions; and Spudnik Press, a print collective that hosts hands-on print-making.

At 2 p.m. Prof. Eisenman and Blake Scholar and University of Chicago Professor W.J.T Mitchell will present a program titled “Blake, Now and Then.” The talk will explore Blake’s role within his own time, his influence on countercultural American artists and musicians, and the ways in which Blake’s independence, imagination, and resistance to authority continue to resonate in contemporary life. Free at the Block, however this popular event has a waiting list. See below to sign up.

Oct. 4, 6 p.m. “Love and Then Some.” Northwestern scholars will focus on the 1960s, from protest and liberation to civil and human rights. Panelists include Michael Allen, Assistant Professor of History; Michael Kramer, Visiting Assistant Professor, History and American Studies; Amy Partridge, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program; and Martha Biondi, Professor of African American Studies and History. Free at the Block.

Oct. 6, 7 p.m. “Songs of Innocence and Experience,” experimental short films focusing on the rock music of the era. Free at the Block.

Oct. 13, 7 p.m. “Songs of Innocence and Experience,” featuring the experimental movies of Lawrence Jordan, avant-garde American filmmaker. Free at the Block.

Oct. 18, 6 p.m. UCLA Professor of English and Comparative Literature Saree Makdisi will discuss “Beholding William Blake at the End of Empire in the 1960s,” framing the historical parallels between Blake’s era and the 1960s. Free at the Block.

Oct. 28, 2:30 p.m. As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, antiwar activist Michael Ferber will discuss “The Social Vision of William Blake,” specifically how Blake’s work reveals connections between art, belief, and action. Tickets required, information at chicagohumanities.org.

Nov. 3, 6 p.m. “Printing in the ‘Infernal’ Method: William Blake’s Method of Illuminated Printing.” University of York (England) Professor Michael Phillips will discuss Blake’s invention of relief etching, which he called “Illuminated Printing,” making it possible to print both the text and illustrations of his poems from the same copper plate. Free at the Block.

Nov. 15, 6 p.m. Prof. Stephen Eisenman will lead a gallery tour with Visiting Artist Brendan Fernandes. Free at the Block.

The 224-page exhibit catalog, published by Princeton University Press, will be available for $45 at the Museum.

The Block Museum asks that, if possible, people register for events they plan to attend at www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu and go to “Upcoming Programs” and then to the event to RSVP.

Note: This was the original article; the one that appeared in the paper was shortened for space.

 

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