The painting shown here is William Blake’s “Job Rebuked by His Friends.” It is part of a series of watercolor paintings commissioned by Thomas Butts. Blake drew the series, also known as “Butts set,” between 1805 and 1806. The series of watercolor paintings are illustrations of the biblical Book of Job. The Book of Job is part of the Old Testament. One of its major theological themes is theodicy, or the question of why a good God allows evil and suffering.
The painting under consideration here pertains to Job 12:4 (“I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn”). It illustrates an instance in which Job, despairing because God has allowed Satan to take his family and possessions, is mocked by his friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They believe that Job’s suffering is the result of an unknown sin committed by Job.
The painting, for which Blake used pen and black ink, gray wash, and watercolor over traces of graphite, is rich in symbolism. The hands and fingers of his friends point at Job, who is kneeling down and looking at the heavens. Blake’s illustrations of the Book of Job often used the right arm (or hand) to symbolize good, whereas left arms or legs signify evil. The use of both left and right arms signifies the presence of both Good and Evil in the world, a fact that Job struggles to come to terms with. Similarly, the surrounding landscape combines dark elements (the mountains and clouds in the background) with lighter elements (Job’s chest, lighter areas in the sky or on his friends’ faces/dress). This, too, signifies the spiritual ambiguity, doubt, and adversity experienced by Job in that moment.
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