William Blake, Los and Orc c.1792-3
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This watercolour shows two of the characters in Blake’s mythology. Los has chained his son Orc to a rock in a fit of jealousy. He regrets this too late: Orc’s limbs have become rooted in the rock.
The sombre mood is conveyed by the dark colour which Blake chose to dominate the scene. He used a pure brown ochre for the entire background. Orc’s shadow is a grey wash. The light falling on the figures’ flesh is shown with paint mixed from chalk and vermilion. The yellow used in the foreground – glossy, transparent gamboge – has not faded.
August 2004
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