The parable of wise and stupid virgins

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the USA.

Watercolour, ink, graphite, paper.

Like many works of William Blake, this one is on a biblical theme. It illustrates the prophecy from the Gospel of Matthew, which says that a trumpeting angel heralds the coming of the Last Judgment, and pious virgins humbly wait for it, while the foolish ones panic and fall to the ground with fear. Although the artist opposed religious dogma and church canons, he deeply respected the Bible as a repository of human wisdom and the greatest poetic creation. The work resembles frescoes by Fra Angelico and the paintings of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. The picture is based on tonal contrast, where the wise girls are highlighted as a bright spot, while hopeless darkness deepens over the stupid ones.