Agony in the Garden

Blake's Agony in the Garden from 1799, in the National Gallery, is one of his tempera paintings on canvas depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Blake's religious art, while deeply personal and unconventional, was rooted in his intense engagement with the Bible and his vision of Christ as a figure of radical spiritual liberation. The painting's stark, visionary quality distinguishes it from the conventional academic treatment of biblical subjects that dominated the Royal Academy exhibitions Blake despised.

Blake's experimental tempera technique creates a luminous, otherworldly effect with pale, glowing colors against dark backgrounds. The simplified, almost iconic composition and the visionary treatment of the angel and the praying Christ reflect his rejection of academic naturalism in favor of spiritual expressiveness.