William Blake: Apprentice and Master Exhibition Launch
Today's the day - the Ashmolean's fantastic exhibition, William Blake: Apprentice and Master, opened this morning to the public! A few of us from Blackwell's were lucky enough to attend the private viewing on Wednesday evening, with a chance to take in the beautiful pieces in the glorious surroundings of the Ashmolean at night.
The evening kicked off with a performance from Schola Cantorum, the renowned University chamber choir, who sang a selection of songs with words by William Blake, from some ethereal Vaughn Williams to a very rousing setting of 'The Tyger', arranged by Oistein Sommerfeldt. This was followed by speeches from Alexander Sturgis, the director of the Ashmolean, and Philip Pullman, author and President of the Blake Society.
Pullman's intense love for William Blake's work was wonderful to see. He read Blake's poem 'The Sick Rose' aloud, and kept the entire crowd enthralled with the magic of Blake's words.
The exhibition itself is breathtaking. The dark walls and copper accents really augment the sense of Blake's mystery, and the works themselves are carefully chosen to give the most striking impression of Blake's journey from apprentice to master. It's hard to describe the majesty of Blake's art, without seeing it right before your eyes, but I found it particularly amazing to see three impressions of "The House of Death/The Lazar House" side by side, and pick out the tiny differences between each version.
Hannah, Blackwell's Events Co-ordinator, said: "Until last night I hadn't realised the full extent of how talented William Blake truly was. Being invited to attend the launch event for the Ashmolean's new exhibition was a privilege, to have been there as part of the celebration. The exhibition itself is a must visit, even the way it was laid out was in itself beautiful. Having the opportunity to look at original etchings, prints and paintings, along with information about each, whilst moving through the galleries looking at his life in art means that you can easily spend hours learning all how he became such a well respected artist, poet and printmaker."
There really is so much to see at William Blake: Apprentice and Master. Don't miss out on your chance to see the treasures of this exhibition, it really is worth spending at least an afternoon perusing - visit the Ashmolean site for tickets. We also now have available the exhibition catalogue, which is packed with beautiful photographs of the exhibits, as well as plenty of extra information - you can find this on the Blackwell's website.
Don't forget to tweet us at @blackwelloxford, using #inspiredbyblake!
