Art, Symbol & Imagination
Urizen turns his back to the viewer
The figure turns its back to the viewer, raising both hands beside the head while long hair streams down around the body. A circular radiance occupies the upper background. This view preserves the design’s placement on source leaf 23; other copies of Blake’s book arrange the engraved designs differently.
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Citation
William Blake. "Urizen turns his back to the viewer" [editorial title]. In The Book of Urizen, William Blake. undated edition. Source scan leaf 23. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/art-urizen-flowing
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
The previous description mistook the rear view for a bowed, bearded face. Copy A's tailpiece placement is comparative context, not the location of this image in the supplied scan.
Sources
From the book
The Book of UrizenWilliam BlakeUndated editionMore from this book
The illuminated title page of The Book of Urizen
The windswept prelude to The First Book of Urizen
Outstretched arms above Urizen’s opening chaptersRelated illustrations
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Cite this illustration
William Blake. Urizen turns his back to the viewer. The Book of Urizen. Scan leaf 23. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/art-urizen-flowing