The Ghost of a Flea

The Tate Gallery Britain, London, the UK.

Tempera, gold, wooden board.

A small picture, made on a mahogany board, was created based on a drawing from the series “Heads of ghosts”. Blake, who had various visions since childhood, saw this horrifying image and painted it on the paper in the presence of the famous astrologer and artist John Varley. The central character, reminiscent of a half-human and half-insect, looks pretty intimidating, he eagerly looks into the empty bowl, hoping to drink some more blood. Given the events of the French and American Revolution, which made the artist worried, in this image, one can consider a parody of the cruelty and gluttony of those in power.