William Blake
(1757-1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic,
and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake
proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the
rationalism and materialism of the 18th- century.
Misunderstanding shadowed his career as a writer and artist
and it was left to later generations to recognize his
importance.
Blake was born in London, where he spent
most of his life. His father was a successful London hosier
who encouraged Blake's artistic talents. Blake was first
educated at home, chiefly by his mother. In 1767 he was sent
to Henry Pars' drawing school. Blake has recorded that from
his early years, he experienced visions of angels and ghostly
monks and that he saw and conversed with the angel Gabriel,
the Virgin Mary, and various historical figures.
At
the age of 14 Blake was apprenticed for seven years to the
engraver James Basire. Gothic art and architecture influenced
him deeply. In 1783 he married Catherine Boucher, the daughter
of a market gardener. Blake taught her to draw and paint and
she assisted him devoutly.
Blake's first book of
poems, Poetical Sketches, appeared in 1783 and was
followed by Songs of Innocence (1789), and Songs of
ExperienceE (1794). His most famous poem "The Tyger", was
part of his Songs of Experience. In these works the
world is seen from a child's point of view, but they also
function as parables of adult experience.
Blake
engraved and published most of his major works himself. Famous
among his "Prophetic Books" are The Book of Thel(1789)
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,(1790) The Book of
Urizen,(1794) America(1793),
Milton(1804-8)and Jerusalem.(1804-20).In the
"Prophetic Books", Blake expressed his lifelong concern with
the struggle of the soul to free its natural energies from
reason and organized religion. Among Blake's later artistic
works are drawings and engravings for Dante's Divine Comedy
and the 21 illustrations to the book of Job, which was
completed when he was almost 70 years old.
Blake never
shook off his economic poverty, which was in a large part due
to his inability to compete in the highly competitive field of
engraving and his expensive invention that enabled him to
design illustrations and print words at the same time.
However, independent throughout his life, Blake left no debts
at his death on August 12, 1827. He was buried in an unmarked
grave at the public cemetery of Bunhill Fields. Though
generally dismissed as an eccentric during his lifetime,
posterity rediscovered Blake and today he is highly rated both
as a poet and artist.
hey everybody, I am to do analyses on blakes
poems, infant joy, infant sorrow, london, a poision tree, the
little black boy. Is there anybody who can help me?
Does anyone know a good way of
paraphrasing William Blake's The Tyger. I have a school
project due and I have to paraphrase 3 poems and The Tyger is
one of them! Help!! :confused:
William Blake
(1757-1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic,
and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake
proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the
rationalism and materialism of the 18th- century.
Misunderstanding shadowed his career as a writer and artist
and it was left to later generations to recognize his
importance.
Blake was born in London, where he spent
most of his life. His father was a successful London hosier
who encouraged Blake's artistic talents. Blake was first
educated at home, chiefly by his mother. In 1767 he was sent
to Henry Pars' drawing school. Blake has recorded that from
his early years, he experienced visions of angels and ghostly
monks and that he saw and conversed with the angel Gabriel,
the Virgin Mary, and various historical figures.
At
the age of 14 Blake was apprenticed for seven years to the
engraver James Basire. Gothic art and architecture influenced
him deeply. In 1783 he married Catherine Boucher, the daughter
of a market gardener. Blake taught her to draw and paint and
she assisted him devoutly.
Blake's first book of
poems, Poetical Sketches, appeared in 1783 and was
followed by Songs of Innocence (1789), and Songs of
ExperienceE (1794). His most famous poem "The Tyger", was
part of his Songs of Experience. In these works the
world is seen from a child's point of view, but they also
function as parables of adult experience.
Blake
engraved and published most of his major works himself. Famous
among his "Prophetic Books" are The Book of Thel(1789)
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,(1790) The Book of
Urizen,(1794) America(1793),
Milton(1804-8)and Jerusalem.(1804-20).In the
"Prophetic Books", Blake expressed his lifelong concern with
the struggle of the soul to free its natural energies from
reason and organized religion. Among Blake's later artistic
works are drawings and engravings for Dante's Divine Comedy
and the 21 illustrations to the book of Job, which was
completed when he was almost 70 years old.
Blake never
shook off his economic poverty, which was in a large part due
to his inability to compete in the highly competitive field of
engraving and his expensive invention that enabled him to
design illustrations and print words at the same time.
However, independent throughout his life, Blake left no debts
at his death on August 12, 1827. He was buried in an unmarked
grave at the public cemetery of Bunhill Fields. Though
generally dismissed as an eccentric during his lifetime,
posterity rediscovered Blake and today he is highly rated both
as a poet and artist.
hey everybody, I am to do analyses on blakes
poems, infant joy, infant sorrow, london, a poision tree, the
little black boy. Is there anybody who can help me?
Does anyone know a good way of
paraphrasing William Blake's The Tyger. I have a school
project due and I have to paraphrase 3 poems and The Tyger is
one of them! Help!! :confused:
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