The Edge of Human Experience: Blake and Tolkien’s Art

The Edge of Human Experience: Blake and Tolkien’s Art | Online Event 13/10/2023 19:30-20:30

Have you ever looked at a piece of visual art by J.R.R. Tolkien and thought ‘that looks a bit like Blake’?

In this online talk, PhD student Annise Rogers will examine why this might be so, even though, as far as we are aware, Tolkien never cited Blake as an influence.

Romantic connections, even within Blakean study, have tended to be based on texts. This is due, in part, to the slippery nature of the term ‘Romanticism’, a term difficult to define in literature, and even harder in visual art.

William Blake has always been an immensely important figure in the history of visual art, influencing artists and artistic movements such as the Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris, and Art Nouveau. J.R.R. Tolkien is commonly regarded as one of the forefathers of contemporary fantasy fiction. But what connects these two artists, and how are they visually connected?

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-edge-of-human-experience-blake-and-tolkiens-art-tickets-726049612937