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Who Was William Blake?
William Blake, a seminal figure in the history of poetry and visual art, began his creative journey at an early age, claiming to have experienced his first vision—a tree filled with angels—at just ten years old. He pursued engraving and developed a profound appreciation for Gothic art, which he seamlessly integrated into his distinctive body of work. Despite being largely misunderstood as a poet, artist, and visionary during his lifetime, Blake gained recognition later in life and has since become a significant influence on the arts and literature.
Early Years
William Blake was born on November 28, 1757, in the Soho district of London, England. His formal education was brief; he was primarily taught at home by his mother. The Bible had a profound impact on Blake, serving as a continuous source of inspiration throughout his life and infusing his work with a deep spirituality. From a young age, Blake began to experience vivid visions. Notably, his friend and journalist Henry Crabb Robinson recounted that Blake reported seeing God’s head appear in a window at the age of four. He also claimed to have witnessed the prophet Ezekiel under a tree and envisioned “a tree filled with angels.” These formative experiences significantly shaped the artistic and literary themes he would explore in his later work.
The Young Artist
Blake’s artistic talent became evident early on, leading him to enroll at Henry Pars’ drawing school at the age of ten, where he honed his skills by sketching human figures from plaster casts of ancient statues. By fourteen, he had entered into an apprenticeship with an engraver who served the London Society of Antiquaries. During this time, Blake visited Westminster Abbey to create drawings of tombs and monuments, which sparked his enduring fascination with Gothic art.
Around this period, Blake began to collect prints from artists who had fallen out of favor, including Dürer, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Nearly forty years later, in a catalog for his own exhibition in 1809, Blake criticized contemporary artists who sought to develop a style that opposed the works of Raphael, Michelangelo, and the classical tradition. He also distanced himself from 18th-century literary trends, favoring the works of the Elizabethan poets—such as Shakespeare, Jonson, and Spenser—as well as ancient ballads.
The Maturing Artist
In 1779, at the age of 21, William Blake completed his seven-year apprenticeship, becoming a journeyman copy engraver. He worked on various projects for book and print publishers while simultaneously preparing for a career as a painter. That same year, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art’s Schools of Design, where he began exhibiting his own works in 1780. This period marked a significant expansion of Blake’s artistic endeavors, culminating in the private publication of his Poetical Sketches in 1783—a collection of poems he had written over the previous fourteen years.
In August 1782, Blake married Catherine Sophia Boucher, who was illiterate. Demonstrating his commitment to their partnership, Blake took the time to teach her how to read, write, draw, and color his designs and prints. He also guided her in experiencing visions, similar to his own. Catherine believed wholeheartedly in her husband’s genius and visions, supporting him unwaveringly until his death 45 years later.
A pivotal moment in Blake’s life occurred in 1787 when he lost his beloved brother, Robert, to tuberculosis at the age of 24. Allegedly witnessing Robert’s spirit ascend through the ceiling at the moment of his death, this profound experience entered Blake’s psyche and significantly influenced his later poetry. The following year, Robert appeared to Blake in a vision, presenting him with a new method of printing his works, which Blake termed “illuminated printing.” This innovative technique allowed Blake to control every aspect of the production of his art.
While Blake was already an established engraver, he soon began receiving commissions for watercolor paintings, depicting scenes from the works of Milton, Dante, Shakespeare, and the Bible.
The Move to Felpham and Charges of Sedition
In 1800, Blake accepted an invitation from poet William Hayley to move to the seaside village of Felpham to work as his protégé. Although their initial relationship was promising, it began to deteriorate. Compounding his troubles, in August 1803, Blake confronted a soldier named John Schofield on Hayley’s property and demanded that he leave. After Schofield refused and an argument ensued, Blake forcibly removed him. Subsequently, Schofield accused Blake of assault and, more gravely, of sedition, claiming that Blake had damned the king.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the penalties for sedition in England were severe. Blake found himself in a state of anguish, uncertain of his fate. Hayley intervened, hiring a lawyer on Blake’s behalf, and in January 1804, Blake was acquitted. By this time, Blake and Catherine had returned to London.
Later Years
In 1804, Blake began working on Jerusalem (1804-1820), his most ambitious project to date. He also exhibited more of his work, including Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims and Satan Calling Up His Legions, though these received little attention. The only published review was harshly critical, dismissing Blake’s work as “nonsense, unintelligibleness, and egregious vanity” and labeling him an “unfortunate lunatic.” This devastating critique, coupled with a lack of recognition, led Blake to withdraw increasingly from the pursuit of artistic success. From 1809 to 1818, he engraved very few plates, with no records of commercial engravings between 1806 and 1813. During this time, he descended deeper into poverty, obscurity, and paranoia.
Despite these challenges, in 1819, Blake began sketching a series of “visionary heads,” asserting that historical and imaginary figures, including Solomon and Merlin, actually appeared to him. By 1825, he had sketched over 100 of these figures, including the well-known head featured in The Ghost of a Flea.
Remaining artistically engaged, between 1823 and 1825, Blake engraved 21 designs for an illustrated Book of Job and for Dante’s Inferno. In 1824, he commenced a series of 102 watercolor illustrations for Dante, a project that would remain unfinished due to Blake’s death in 1827.
Death and Legacy
In his final years, Blake endured recurring bouts of an undiagnosed illness, which he referred to as “that sickness to which there is no name.” He passed away on August 12, 1827, leaving behind unfinished watercolor illustrations for Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and an illuminated manuscript of the Bible’s Book of Genesis. In death, as in life, Blake received little recognition; obituaries tended to emphasize his eccentricities rather than his artistic contributions. For instance, The Literary Chronicle described him as “one of those ingenious persons … whose eccentricities were still more remarkable than their professional abilities.”
Although unappreciated during his lifetime, Blake has since emerged as a monumental figure in literary and artistic circles. His visionary approach to art and writing has not only ignited extensive speculation about his life and work but has also inspired a diverse range of artists and writers throughout the years.