Forum: William Blake’s Universe

Opening 23 February, the exhibition of William Blake’s work at the Fitzwilliam Museum promises to “explore Blake’s boundless imagination” in the context of his European contemporaries, and with attention to mysticism and spiritual regeneration. 

Blake scholars will already know that the this radical British artist, printmaker and poet moved in diverse circles. This exhibition aims to address the stereotype of Blake as “lone genius”, demonstrating how his artworks interact with the ideas and works of European contemporaries. With painters Philipp Otto Runge and Caspar David Friedrich, Blake shared “a strong sense of individuality and an unwavering belief in the power of art to redeem a society in crisis”.

Visiting the exhibition together, we will bring our diverse knowledges into conversation with this exhibition—and (if wished) enjoy our own sociable salon in the Fitzwilliam Museum tea room.

This event is members of the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum. (View information about eligibility and how to join the Forum.)

Exhibition details

The exhibition, William Blake’s Universe, runs until 19 May and is open to all visitors—with the invitation to ‘Pay what you wish’.

View full details and booking options (to visit independently) on the Fitzwilliam Museum’s website.

Blake devotees may also wish to pop a note in the diary for 27 March, when Dr Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe (Divinity) and Professor Michael Squire (Classics) will be speaking about the Museum’s sculptures and Blake.

What does it mean to look at Graeco-Roman art through Christian eyes? Does an admiration of classical ‘beauty’ come at theological cost?  View and reserve a place at “Lunchtime Talk: Christian Classical” (via museums.cam.ac.uk).