William Blake (1757- 1827)
London, England

"I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's." - William Blake

William Blake was born to James and Catherine, a moderate family. As a child, William described visions from God to his parents such as seeing God put his head to the window, or seeing a tree filled with angels. His parents, in return, noticed his differences from other children and William received education at home. William wanted to be a painter and apprenticed with engraver James Basire, who exposed him to a variety of Gothic techniques, this will forever influence his career. In 1779 he began studies at The Royal Academy of Arts, but it was as a journeyman engraver that he was to make his living. In 1772 he married an illiterate woman named Catherine Boucher. When Blake's first collection of apprentice verse called Poetical Sketches (1783) it imitated classical models. The poems protest against war, tyranny, and King George III's treatment of the American colonies. He published his most popular collection, Songs of Innocence, in 1789 and followed it, in 1794, with Songs of Experience. Blake was a nonconformist who associated with some of the leading radical thinkers of his day, such as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft. In defiance of 18th-century neoclassical conventions, he privileged imagination over reason in the creation of both his poetry and images, asserting that ideal forms should be constructed not from observations of nature but from inner visions. He opposed English monarchy, and 18th-century political and social tyranny in general. Theological tyranny is the subject of The Book of Urizen (1794). In the prose work The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93), he satirized oppressive authority in church and state, as well as the works of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher whose ideas once attracted his interest. He taught himself Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Italian, so that he could read classical works in their original language. Blake believed that his poetry could be read and understood by common people, but he was determined not to sacrifice his vision in order to become popular. Some of those who saw the exhibit praised Blake's artistry, but others thought the paintings "hideous" and more than a few called him insane. Blake's poetry was not well known by the general public, but he was mentioned in A Biographical Dictionary of the Living Authors of Great Britain and Ireland, published in 1816. Blake's final years, spent in great poverty, were cheered by the admiring friendship of a group of younger artists who called themselves "the Ancients." In 1818 he met John Linnell, a young artist who helped him financially and also helped to create new interest in his work. It was Linnell who, in 1825, commissioned him to design illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy, the cycle of drawings that Blake worked on until his death in 1827.

Criticism

William Blake's reputation is first of a naive, intelligent virtuoso who could only use emotions to communicate. But as Blake slowly established authority in one field after another, it was blatant that his subjects were often complex yet also normal. One of Blake's goals was to separate himself from others, ironically however, his works were objects of art for connoisseurs. This fact was probable in delaying Blake's reputation. He was a professional engraver yet his poetry was more amateur compared to others of his time. However, Blake's lyrical gifts, unorthodox views, and unification of poetry gave him a great influence on pre-Raphaelites.

Works
1783 - Poetical Sketches
1789 - Songs of Innocence, Book of Thel
1791 - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
1794 - Songs of Experience (contains some of his best known lines, his romantic
ideas are expressed as the freedom of imagination and hatred for rationalism and
materialilsm)
1795 - The Song of Los
1826 - Book of Job (21 illustrations of his finest artistic work)

Additional Links
The William Blake Archive
< http://www.blakearchive.org/ >

Sources:

Exploring Poetry. Gale Group. 2000
< http://www.gale.com/freresrc/poets_cn/blakebio.htm >

Houtchens, Carolyn W. The English Romantic Poets & Essayists. London: New York
Universitiy Press, 1966.