Two Figures Wrestling - William Blake
Archival giclée
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Description
A striking 1797 engraving by William Blake, depicting two figures in a physical struggle, originally created as an illustration for Edward Young's Night Thoughts.
This engraving originates from the ambitious 1797 edition of Edward Young's poem, Night Thoughts, illustrated by the English visionary artist William Blake. The work displays two figures locked in a physical struggle, their bodies rendered with the muscular definition and anatomical idealism characteristic of Blake's classical influences. The composition is stark, placing the figures against a simplified, barren horizon that directs the viewer's attention to the tension of the encounter.
Blake produced these illustrations by surrounding the central text with his own designs, creating a dialogue between the printed word and the visual image. In this specific plate, the figures occupy the lower left, while the text block occupies the upper right, a layout that forces a physical relationship between the reader's eye and the depicted action. The engraving technique is precise, using fine lines to model the musculature and the texture of the ground, while the surrounding white space provides a sense of isolation. This work reflects the artist's interest in the human form as a vehicle for expressing internal conflict and spiritual struggle. The figures appear caught in a moment of intense exertion, their limbs intertwined in a way that suggests both combat and a desperate embrace. By integrating the illustration directly into the page layout, Blake creates a unified object where the poetry and the image inform one another. This print offers a clear view of Blake's graphic style, which relies on clarity of line and a deliberate rejection of atmospheric perspective in favour of symbolic, sculptural forms. It remains a significant example of his collaborative work with the publisher Richard Edwards, demonstrating his ability to interpret complex literary themes through a distinctively personal visual language.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Two Figures Wrestling - William Blake
Artist Biography
William Blake
He married Catherine Boucher in 1782. She was illiterate at the time and signed the marriage register with an X. He taught her to read, write, and engrave, and she became his collaborator for the next forty-five years: mixing paint, operating the printing press, hand-colouring plates, and binding the finished pages into covers.
Their working method was Blake's own invention, revealed to him (he said) in a dream by the spirit of his dead brother Robert. Relief etching reversed the standard printmaking process: instead of cutting lines into copper, Blake wrote and drew on the plate in acid-resistant varnish, then dissolved the surrounding metal with acid, leaving text and image raised. This allowed him to compose poetry and illustration simultaneously on a single plate, print them together, then hand-colour each sheet in watercolour. Every copy was therefore unique. Songs of Innocence and of Experience was produced this way. He sold fewer than thirty copies during his lifetime.
In 1803, he physically threw a soldier named John Schofield out of his garden in Felpham. He was charged with assault and with uttering treasonable expressions against the King. He was acquitted at the Chichester assizes in January 1804.
Newton, painted in 1795, shows the scientist as a young man with the body of a Greek god, bent forward at the bottom of a dark ocean, fixing his gaze on a pair of compasses, measuring and drawing on a scroll that appears to project from his own head. It is a painting about the limits of reason: beautiful, precise, and missing everything beyond the edge of the paper. The Ancient of Days, from the same period, depicts his mythological figure Urizen crouching at the edge of a void, reaching down with a compass to measure the darkness below.
He died on 12 August 1827, working on illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He was buried at Bunhill Fields. The wider recognition came decades later.
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