At the end of life Blake received from his friend, watercolor artist John Linnel, an order for illustration to the biblical Book of Job. Blake created twenty-one illustrations to the Book, which were printed in 1726.
Job was blameless, just, righteous, and removed from evil. He was rich, happy and respected and honored. Satan began to convince God that the piety of Job is due to the fact that the Lord protects him and favors him in all his affairs. Deciding to test Job, the Lord allows Satan to destroy his welfare and his family: all the wealth of Job has suddenly been destroyed, and his children are dying. But this did not cause Job to complain about God. Then Satan struck him with leprosy all over his body.
After this Job was driven out of the city; dressed in rags, hungry, suffering, he sat alone on a pile of ash. Even his wife refused to communicate with him – tired of the endless complaints and unbearable stinking spirit, coming from the spouse. Hearing about Job’s sufferings, his best friends came to him-Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Savkhian and Sophar the Nahamite. They debated with Job for a long time, trying to prove to him that if the Lord sent this terrible punishment to him, then he or his children sinned in something. Then a similar attack was made by a young man, a certain Elihu, the son of the Varahili.
In the end, the Lord responded to Job from the storm, confirming that Job spoke of Him correctly, and his friends – no.
At the top of the picture are four singing angels. Below them – with outstretched hands, Lord the Almighty is presented. Below, separated from God by a conditioned veil, Job is located, on the right – three of his friends, to the left – the youth of Elihu. All of them, with their heads thrown back slightly, listen with reverence to the Lord.
(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)