Who painted The Wrath of Elihu?

The Wrath of Elihu was painted by William Blake in 1825.

Where can I see The Wrath of Elihu?

The Wrath of Elihu is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Wrath of Elihu?

The Wrath of Elihu is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of The Wrath of Elihu?

Museum-quality prints of The Wrath of Elihu are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Wrath of Elihu

William Blake , 1825

The Wrath of Elihu is an ink print by the Romanticist artist William Blake. It dates from 1825 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1825, The Wrath of Elihu is an engraving on India paper by William Blake, part of his later series illustrating the Book of Job.

Created in 1825, The Wrath of Elihu is an engraving on India paper by William Blake, part of his later series illustrating the Book of Job. Blake, who worked primarily in London, combined poetic vision with printmaking to produce deeply symbolic imagery. Though little celebrated during his lifetime, his work gained recognition posthumously as a vital contribution to Romantic art. This piece exemplifies his mature style, merging textual and visual elements to convey spiritual tension.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts Elihu, a younger figure in the Book of Job, confronting three older friends who have offered failed counsel to the suffering patriarch. Elihu stands with arms raised toward the heavens, invoking divine authority, while the seated men gaze downward, their postures suggesting exhaustion or spiritual defeat. The cramped interior and faint stars above imply a boundary between human frailty and transcendent truth. Biblical verses encircling the image frame the moment as a moral reckoning.

Technique & Style

Blake employed fine, controlled lines to model form and atmosphere in this intaglio engraving. Subtle shading and cross-hatching create a sense of volume and depth on a flat surface, enhancing the three-dimensionality of the figures. The use of India paper, thin and absorbent, allowed for delicate ink transfer and sharp detail. The composition is tightly framed, with architectural elements pressing inward, reinforcing the psychological intensity of the moment.

History & Provenance

The engraving was produced as part of Blake’s illustrated series of the Book of Job, commissioned by John Linnell in the mid-1820s. Only a small number of impressions were printed during Blake’s lifetime, mostly for private patrons. After his death in 1827, the series gradually entered institutional collections.

This particular impression on India paper is among the rarer variants, valued for its fine impression and preservation of minute linework.

Context

Blake’s Job illustrations emerged during a period of personal isolation and declining public recognition. He turned increasingly to biblical narratives as vessels for exploring justice, suffering, and revelation. His approach diverged from contemporary realism, favoring symbolic allegory rooted in his own mystical theology.

The engraving reflects broader Romantic interests in inner experience and divine inspiration, though Blake’s vision remained distinct from mainstream artistic trends of the era.

Legacy

Blake’s Job engravings, including The Wrath of Elihu, became foundational to later reassessments of his artistic significance. They influenced Symbolist and modernist printmakers drawn to his fusion of text and image. Scholars now regard the series as a unique synthesis of visual art, poetry, and theological inquiry.

The work’s enduring relevance lies in its quiet, unadorned confrontation with human limitation and the search for meaning beyond it.