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WWWD (What Would William Do)?: portrait of William Blake

Steve Justice Studio Title: WWWD (What Would William Do)?: portrait of William Blake Material: Oil on canvas Size: 30x24 Year: 2017

Title: WWWD (What Would William Do)?: portrait of William Blake
Material: Oil on canvas
Size: 30×24
Year: 2017

Come into my hand

By your mild power; descending down the nerves of my right arm

From out of the portals of my brain, where by your ministry

The eternal great humanity planted his paradise.

— William Blake

A particular High School in Ohio calls themselves the Tygers, which was a Blakean spelling for an animal of the same stripe.  I hope their cheerleaders have a cheer: ‘Tygers, Tygers, Burning Bright!’, but maybe not followed up with Blake’s next line: ‘What Immortal Hand or Eye, Could Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry!’  I instead suggest: ‘Our team is on fire tonight!’

In this painting, I filtered the many color variations of William Blake’s “The Ancient of Days” prints (1794) and casted the Artist/Poet/Printer/Mystic himself in the title role, as the Creator.  In the background I brightened the potentially traumatizing, dramatic scene with a Smiley Face playing the part of the Sun.  Here ‘God’ wields a pair of dividers, with which He divides land from sea, good from evil, Republicans from Democrats, Steelers fans from Browns fans, &c.

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