Artists & Illustrators – September 2019

©TATE

WILLIAM BLAKE

The Ghost of

a Flea, 1819-’20

RACHAELFUNNELLlooksathowtheRomanticpoetandartistturnedaninsect-

inspiredvisionintoashimmeringminiaturemasterpieceusingancienttechniques

LEFT William Blake, The Ghost of

a Flea, c.1819-’20, tempera and

gold on mahogany, 21.4x16.2cm

ART IN FOCUS

WHO WAS WILLIAM BLAKE?
Born in London in 1757, William Blake was
one of the greatest poets and painters of
the Romantic era. He first engaged with the
arts as a boy, studying at the Royal
Academy of Arts and briefly opening a print
shop. He is famed for his illustrations of
classic texts such as Dante’s Divine
Comedy as well as several collections of

his own poetry including Songs of

Innocence and of Experience.

WHY DID HE PAINT THE GHOST

OF A FLEA?

The artist and astrologer John Varley wrote

in his Treatise on Zodiacal Physiognomy

that Blake had been with his fellow artist

when he’d seen the “ghost of a flea”. Blake

had many “visions” of this kind, and it was

unclear to his contemporaries as to whether

they were a creative exercise is envisioning

a subject, or genuine hallucinations as the

result of substance use or mental illness.

WHO INFLUENCED HIS WORK?

It’s thought that Blake’s preoccupation with

the flea may have been inspired by Robert

Hook’s Microphagia. This 1665 book

contained anatomical illustrations of

organisms observed under fledgling

microscopes, which caused readers to

question what else existed that they were

not aware of.

HOW DID HE PAINT IT?

The Ghost of a Flea is one of many

miniatures Blake made throughout his life,

created using the traditional medium of

tempera. Blake had worked in oils for a short

time, but the medium “harassed him” as the

colours sank.

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?

Tate Britain curator Amy Concannon:

“The Ghost of a Flea is one of Blake’s most

bizarre and now famous images. He saw the

character in a vision, induced during a

séance. His friend John Varley recalled

Blake’s excitement as the spirit appeared

before him. He also watched Blake make the

full-length sketch of the flea and came to

own the gold-embellished tempera.”

William Blake runs from 11 September to

2 February 2020 at Tate Britain, London SW1.

http://www.tate.org.uk