The artwork, entitled “Night Startled by the Lark,” was created by William Blake between the years 1816 and 1820. It belongs to the Symbolism movement and is categorized as a religious painting. This piece is part of the series “Illustrations to John Milton – L`Allegro and Il Penseroso.”
The scene depicted in the artwork is alive with ethereal beings and celestial elements. A luminous figure with golden wings is captured mid-flight, rising towards a starlit sky, exuding a radiant and joyous demeanor. Below this figure, another entity, draped in flowing garments, reclines on the grass, gazing upwards in an expression of awe or reverence. In the background, shadowy forms emerge from a castle-like structure obscured partly by mist, adding to the mystical atmosphere. The composition is imbued with a sense of movement and transcendence, characteristic of Blake’s symbolic and spiritual repertoire.
