Buy Pictures. The Artist who does not throw his Contempt on such Trading
Exhibitions, does not know either his own Interest or his Duty.' Gil. i.
258, 259, WMR (' Epig. XIX '), EY ii. 324.
1 When . . . Cold] Gil. and WMR print as two lines. 3 And . . .
Gold] Gil. and WMR print as two lines. 4 Aged Sixty-three] Gil. and
WMR print as a separate line, in italics. See Introduction.
vi
On the Venetian Painter
He makes the Lame to walk, we all agree,
But then he Strives to blind all who can see.
Reynolds, vol. i, p. 98. Suggested by the following passage in the fourth
Discourse : — ' By this it appears that the principal attention of the Venetian
painters, in the opinion of Michael Angelo, seemed to be engrossed by the
study of colours, to the neglect of the ideal beauty of form, or propriety
of expression. But if general censure was given to that school from the
sight of a picture of Titian, how much more heavily and more justly would
the censure fall on Paolo Veronese, and more especially on Tintoret ? '
Blake prefaces his couplet by the note : — ' Venetian attention is to a Con-
tempt & Neglect of Form Itself, & to the Destruction of ail Form or Outline,
Purposely & Intentionally. As if Mich. Ang. had seen but One Picture of
Titian ! Mich. Ang. knew & despised all that Titian could do.'
Gil. i. 264, WMR (' Epig.' iv), EY ii.
vii
A pair of Stays to mend the Shape
Of crooked Humpy Woman,
Put on, O Venus ; now thou art
Quite a Venetian Roman.
Reynolds, vol. i, p. 99. Following Blake's prose note : — ' If the Venetian's
Outline was Right, his Shadows would destroy it & deform its appearance.'
Printed only by EY ii. 333.
