The great red dragon and the woman clothed with the sun (c. 1800) – William Blake
William Blake (November 28 1757 – August 12 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. Blake was an important proponent of imagination as the modern western world currently defines the word. His belief that humanity could overcome the limitations of its five senses is perhaps one of Blake’s greatest legacies. His words, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite,” (The Marriage of Heaven and Hell) were seen as bizarre at the time, but are now accepted as part of our modern definition of imagination. This quote was the source of the names for both The Doors musical group and Aldous Huxley‘s book The Doors of Perception.
And of course, this is also at the heart of Thomas Harris’ first novel in the Hannibal Lecter tetralogy : “Red Dragon”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dragon
In the novel, Francis Dolarhyde eats the original painting.
Thank you for that, I appreciate these lateral connections.
Jan
just a question: what is the connection between blake and crowley then?
I have no idea, I can imagine that Crowley was familiar with the work of Blake.
Why do you ask?
The concept of the doors of perception was kind of given from one to the other. From Crowley to Huxley (who shared mescaline experiences) and from Huxley to Leary (who did so, too). As Crowley hardly could have shared mescaline with Blake personally, it would be interesting to learn more about that link.
I agree, thanks for your comment, I was unaware of these real-life connections.