William Blake - biography and paintings of the artist in the genre of Romanticism, Symbolism - Art Challenge. William Blake: biography and works

William Blake(William Blake) English poet, artist, philosopher. Born November 28, 1757 in London.

Biography of William Blake

William Blake was the second child in a large family of a knitwear merchant. My father's shop was on the first floor of the house where they lived.

He received his primary education from his mother, who taught him to write and read, and also managed to instill a love of literature. From childhood, William was instilled with a love for the works of the Renaissance, which he carried throughout his life.

His artistic ability appeared early and at the age of 10 his parents sent him to art school. And after art school, he was hired as an apprentice in an engraving shop (1772).

By the age of twenty-one he had become a professional engraver, having spent seven years studying. During this period, Blake developed a keen interest in poetry. Later, the doors of the Royal Academy of Arts opened before William (1778), which he never managed to complete. Blake regarded this failure as an impetus for independent activity, and he began to make a living by making book engravings based on drawings by other artists.

Blake's work

In 1784, William Blake opened his own engraving shop. At that time in his life, he discovered the technology of “illuminated”, “decorative” printing - a new method of engraving for that time. Subsequently, he will decorate his poems with drawings made precisely in this technique.

In 1789 Blake completed work on the cycle of poems “Songs of Innocence”, which reflected his attraction to divine theme. A year later, the book “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” appears from his pen. And in 1793, five books by Blake were published at once: “Visions of the Daughters of Albion”, “America”, “Europe”, “The Gates of Paradise” and “The Book of Urizen”. Somewhat later, “Songs of Experience” appeared. This creative period William Blake is often described as "rebellious." Having passed it, he will no longer deviate from religious dogma and beliefs in God. Disputes with the Almighty will remain only on the pages of his early works.

By the end of the 18th century, Blake's style was finally formed and became recognizable. His works, however, never find recognition among his contemporaries. Blake’s traditional education did not impose established canons and forms in art; perhaps this is where one should look for the origins of his creative freedom. Ignoring established foundations and using approaches in his works that run counter to established tradition determined Blake’s rejection by his contemporaries.

He often said to himself: “I am better known for my works in Heaven than on earth.” Despite this circumstance, William Blake did not give in to the temptation to quit writing. He continued to follow his path in art. Mozart bequeathed: “Music, even in the most terrible dramatic situations, must remain music”...Blake never deviated from this commandment of the Artist in his work, although not so close to music. Since 1804, Blake has been working on engraving his poems. From now on, he illustrates all of his works. In 1822 Blake creates a loop watercolor works, illustrating the poem " Lost heaven» John Milton. The splendor of the work he did will only be appreciated years later.

Later he began illustrating Dante's Divine Comedy. This job will be Blake's last. He will not be destined to complete it. However, the images that have reached descendants amaze with the perfection of technique and purity of thought. Many call them the peak of Blake's creativity.

William Blake's earthly journey ended in 1827. He was buried like Mozart once was: in a common, poor man's grave. And the place of his burial was lost forever by the dictates of time.

There will be a lot of controversy about Blake's work, it will be said about his works that they are inspired by the devil, many of them will serve as food for an almost omnivorous fire... But, nevertheless, the name of Blake will gain immortality on an August day in 1827.

William Blake's legacy would, over time, be rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelites. And it combines uncontrollable flight creative imagination, innovative ideas, subtle symbolism, reminiscences of the great classics, will influence the art of the 19th-20th centuries. The work of Blake, who worked for poetry in life, inspired more than one generation of the art world. It remains a source of inspiration in our time, far from romanticism.

What attracts people about Blake is not only his creativity, but also his mysterious personality. He is attracted to the strange and extraordinary creative destiny. Its main feature creative life was that Blake was neither a special poet, nor a special artist, nor a special philosopher. Moreover, he literary works very often go against the norms of literary in English, painting often contradicts generally accepted canons, and its philosophy is not always consistent and logical.

However, if we take all his works together, they represent something grandiose, something bewitching and majestic. Blake can be appreciated primarily for the fact that he tried to penetrate many of the laws of this universe, to understand and teach spirituality itself.

Antaeus, lowering Dante and Virgil into the final circle of Hell Hecate. Night of Joy Enitharmon Joyful Day or Dance of Albion

He did this by writing literary works (in poetry and prose), supplementing them with numerous illustrations for better assimilation. Such a literary device, combining philosophy, literature and painting, has never been seen before.

He is special, and even after William Blake, few were capable of such creative asceticism (in particular, Kahlil Gibran is called a follower of William Blake’s techniques).

However, it remains to be admitted that it is precisely such an extraordinary technique creative self-expression is the most effective way for William Blake to express his prophetic ideas, to express his enlightened view of the purity of spirituality.

Blake's works show us how deep and subtle inner world author. We clearly realize that a person who achieved such a level of self-expression was able to go beyond the usual conventional boundaries of human awareness, beyond the work of the senses and the mind. Only that person who is completely absorbed in the desire for spirituality, for its laws, for its existence is capable of such liberation from conventions and in-depth perception of reality. This is the level of William Blake's worldview.

This raises a completely logical question: wasn’t he himself endowed with something special that allowed him to see the world with different eyes - more complex and diverse, wasn’t he at a more high level human awareness, in other words, didn’t he really have spiritual self-realization to be able to create like that, to pass through himself like that? the world?

He was not a poet “for everyone” and, apparently, did not strive for this. He wrote for those who, like himself, were concerned with themes of spirituality.

He believed in the divine destiny of the poet, in the fact that inspiration was given from above, he believed in his mission as a Prophet, called to open people's “eyes turned inward.” Be that as it may, William Blake walked it to the end to light the way for those who would follow him. The result of his path was his works as guiding beacons for seekers who want to rise from inert and blind ideas, beliefs and conventions to the heights of Spirituality.

Bibliography

• Donald Ault (1974). Visionary Physics: Blake's Response to Newton. University of Chicago. ISBN 0-226-03225-6.
• Jacob Bronowski (1972). William Blake and the Age of Revolution. Routledge and K. Paul. ISBN 0-7100-7277-5 (hardcover) ISBN 0-7100-7278-3 (pbk.)
• Jacob Bronowski (1967). William Blake, 1757-1827; a man without a mask. Haskell House Publishers.
• G.K. Chesterton (1920s). William Blake. House of Stratus ISBN 0-7551-0032-8.
• S. Foster Damon (1979). A Blake Dictionary. Shambhala. ISBN 0-394-73688-5.
• Northrop Frye (1947). Fearful Symmetry. Princeton Univ Press. ISBN 0-691-06165-3.
• Peter Ackroyd (1995). Blake. Sinclair-Stevenson. ISBN 1-85619-278-4.
• E.P. Thompson (1993). Witness against the Beast. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-22515-9.
• Victor N. Paananens (1996). William Blake. Twayne Publishers. ISBN 0-8057-7053-4.
• George Anthony Rosso Jr. (1993). Blake's Prophetic Workshop: A Study of The Four Zoas. Associated University Presses. ISBN 0-8387-5240-3.
• G.E. Bentley Jr. (2001). The Stranger From Paradise: A Biography of William Blake. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-08939-2.
• David V. Erdman (1977). Blake: Prophet Against Empire: A Poet's Interpretation of the History of His Own Times. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-486-26719-9.
• James King (1991). William Blake: His Life. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-07572-3.
• W.J.T. Mitchell (1978). Blake's Composite Art: A Study of the Illuminated Poetry. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-691-01402-7.
• Peter Marshall (1988). William Blake: Visionary Anarchist ISBN 0-900384-77-8
• Dr. Malkin, A Father's Memories of his Child, (1806)
• Alexander Gilchrist, Life and Works of William Blake, (1863, second edition, London, 1880)
• Algernon Swinburne, William Blake: A Critical Essay, (London, 1868)
• W. M. Rosetti (editor), Poetical Works of William Blake, (London, 1874)
• Basil de Selincourt, William Blake, (London, 1909)
• G. B. Russell, Engravings of William Blake, (1912)
• B. Yeats, Ideas of Good and Evil, (1903), contains essays.
• Joseph Viscomi (1993). Blake and the Idea of the Book, (Princeton UP). ISBN 0-691-06962-X.
• David Weir (2003). Brahma in the West: William Blake and the Oriental Rennaissance, (SUNY Press)
• Sheila A. Spector (2001). "Wonders Divine": the development of Blake's Kabbalistic myth, (Bucknell UP)
• Jason Whittaker (1999). William Blake and the Myths of Britain, (Macmillan)
• Irving Fiske (1951). "Bernard Shaw's Debt to William Blake." (Shaw Society)

The Mysticism of William Blake

See the world in one grain of sand
And the whole cosmos is in a blade of forest grass,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And in a fleeting moment there is eternity...
William Blake

“For forty years there was not a single day that I did not take up the copper board. Engraving is a craft that I studied; I should not have tried to live by any other labor. My heaven is brass, and my earth is iron." This is what the long-suffering William Blake wrote about himself at the beginning of the nineteenth century. One of the rooms served as a living room for him and Kate, the other as a bedroom, kitchen, office and workshop. There were almost no things. The wife wore a simple, stale dress. "From endless adversity, she has long lost former beauty, except for the one that gave her love and talking eyes, sparkling and black."

BookJob. WilliamBlake

Blake William (11/28/1757 - 08/12/1827), English painter, engraver, poet. He studied the art of painting and engraving in London with the engraver J. Bezaire (from 1771), attended the Academy of Arts (1778), and was influenced by J. Flaxman. In the work of Blake, who illustrated his own poems with watercolors and engravings (“Songs of Ignorance”, 1789; “Songs of Knowledge”, 1794; “The Book of Job”, 1818-1825; “The Divine Comedy” by Dante, 1825-1827 and other works), the trends of romanticism in English art were clearly reflected late XVIII- first quarter of the XIX century: the master's attraction to visionary fiction, allegorism and mystical symbolism, resort to a bold, almost arbitrary play of lines, sharp compositional solutions.

BLAKE William The Lovers Whirlwind. Francesca Da Rimini And Paolo...

Blake rejects traditional composition and perspective; the exquisite linear forms of the painter’s works evoke an idea of ​​the other world. The style itself reflects the artist’s unique mystical vision a world where reality and imagination merge.

An engraver and book illustrator by profession, Blake expressed his talent in poetry and in strikingly powerful mystical and symbolic paintings. Spiritual world seemed to William Blake more important than the material world, and the true artist was seen by him as a prophet, endowed divine gift penetration into the essence of things. Blake lived in poverty and died unrecognized on August 12, 1827. Currently, William Blake is rightfully considered one of the great masters of English fine art and literature, one of the most brilliant and original painters of his time.

William Blake. Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". "Hell"

William Blake. Illustration for Dante's "Divine Comedy". "Hell"

William Blake (eng. William Blake; November 28, 1757, London - August 12, 1827, London) - English poet and artist, mystic and visionary.

Now, almost two hundred years later, it has become obvious that the works of William Blake were not intended for his contemporaries. All his life he created, turning to his descendants, and apparently he himself was aware of this. Seeing the complete indifference of his contemporaries brought him considerable despair. “My works are better known in heaven than on earth,” - so he said, and continued to create, hoping for due respect and attention from his descendants. Today, taking a general look at his work, we can understand how much he was ahead of his generation, perhaps by a century, and perhaps more. Two centuries have passed since his life, one might say, two centuries of his oblivion, and only today William Blake becomes a real proper idol. For example, in Great Britain, his poem “Jerusalem” became almost the second national anthem, and in America, an exhibition of his paintings and engravings, held in 2001 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was a great success. Today, Blake's books are published in huge numbers in many countries, including Russia, and they do not languish on the shelves. The number of translations is growing.

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Blake phenomenon

What attracts people about Blake is not only his creativity, but also his mysterious personality. He is attracted by his strange and extraordinary creative destiny. The main feature of his creative life was that Blake was neither a special poet, nor a special artist, nor a special philosopher. Moreover, his literary works very often run counter to the norms of the literary English language, his painting often contradicts generally accepted canons, and his philosophy is not always consistent and logical. However, if we take all his works together, they represent something grandiose, something bewitching and majestic. In general, his creative works represent a well-defined completeness; they are the result of a long, stubborn and deep search for a creative, talented soul. Blake can be appreciated primarily for the fact that he tried to penetrate many of the laws of this universe, to understand and teach spirituality itself.

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He did this by writing literary works (in poetry and prose), supplementing them with numerous illustrations for better assimilation. Such a literary device, combining philosophy, literature and painting, has never been seen before. He is special, and even after William Blake, few were capable of such creative asceticism (in particular, Kahlil Gibran is called a follower of William Blake’s techniques). However, it remains to be recognized that it is precisely this extraordinary method of creative self-expression that suits William Blake most effectively in order to express his prophetic ideas, to express his enlightened view of the purity of spirituality.

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Blake's works show us how deep and subtle the author's inner world was. It was completely different from the one in which the others live, which makes it clear what Blake himself is like and what his creative mission was. We clearly realize that a person who achieved such a level of self-expression was able to go beyond the usual conventional boundaries of human awareness, beyond the work of the senses and the mind. Only that person who is completely absorbed in the desire for spirituality, for its laws, for its existence is capable of such liberation from conventions and in-depth perception of reality. This is the level of William Blake's worldview. This raises a completely logical question: wasn’t he himself endowed with something special that allowed him to see the world with different eyes - more complex and diverse, wasn’t he at a higher level of human awareness, in other words, didn’t he really have a spiritual self-realization, to be able to create like that, to let the world around you pass through you like that?

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The purity of William Blake's spirituality, free from the shackles of rationalism and dry dogma, was not only his creative method, but also in his way of thinking, his condition, his inner essence. He was not a poet “for everyone” and, apparently, did not strive for this. He wrote for those who, like himself, were concerned with themes of spirituality. He believed in the divine destiny of the poet, in the fact that inspiration was given from above, he believed in his mission as a Prophet, called to open people's "eyes turned inward." Be that as it may, William Blake walked it to the end to light the way for those who would follow him. The result of his path was his works as guiding beacons for seekers who want to rise from inert and blind ideas, beliefs and conventions to the heights of Spirituality.

William Blake managed to create during his life great amount works in the field of painting and literature. Moreover, it should be noted that, unlike other artists of brush and word, his creative skills did not decline with age, but rather improved. By the end of his life, truly masterpieces of his work came out of his pen and brush, for example, the work “Lacoon” or illustrations for Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, where William Blake showed both the depth of literary thought and ease in mastering the brush, which was not observed in him previously.

In the history of world literature, William Blake is considered to be the first English romantic poet. What is striking is the unprecedented coloring of the author’s moods, his unpredictability and inability to understand and accommodate in us everything that he expressed. Sometimes rebellious moods slip through him, and then they turn into religious mysticism. His lyrical motifs are combined with figurative mythology and symbolism. His innocent, joyful perception of the world subsequently turns into a kind of mysticism of the collision of the forces of Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell. His mythological system of complex symbolic images and allegories remained misunderstood for a long time and was considered incapable of any deciphering. Only now are scientists beginning to get closer to the solution.

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Blake's Confession

It is believed that 1863 marked the beginning of the recognition of William Blake and the growth of interest in him. At this time, Alexander Gilchrist published a biography, The Life of Blake. Soon after, Blake's never-before-published early poems were published, establishing him as a lyric romantic poet. Blake's engravings, also previously unknown, were subsequently discovered and greatly influenced the development of the so-called Art Nouveau style. In 1893, Yeats, together with Ellis, published a three-volume, at that time the most complete edition of Blake's works, accompanied by a short biography of the poet. However, real interest in Blake's work and personality began in the twentieth century.

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In 1966 it was published " Complete collection works of William Blake." Blake revealed himself to the world not only as an apocalyptic seer, as he is usually considered, but also as the author of witty epigrams and aphorisms, as an original thinker and critic, far ahead of his orthodox, ossified age.

As for Russia and countries former USSR, the name of William Blake became known to the general public only in 1957, after the whole world celebrated the bicentenary of his birth. His works then began to appear both in periodicals and in separate collections. Blake was published relatively rarely, and much of his work was never translated into Russian. One can only hope that over time the entire legacy of his work will be translated.

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Blake William

(11/28/1757-08/12/1827), English painter, engraver, poet. He studied the art of painting and engraving in London with the engraver J. Bezaire (from 1771), attended the Academy of Arts (1778), and was influenced by J. Flaxman. The work of Blake, who illustrated his own poems with watercolors and engravings (“Songs of Ignorance”, 1789; “Songs of Knowledge”, 1794; “Book of Job”, 1818-1825; Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, 1825-1827 and other works), clearly reflected tendencies of romanticism in English art of the late 18th - first quarter of the 19th century: the master’s attraction to visionary fiction, allegorism and mystical symbolism, resort to a bold, almost arbitrary play of lines, sharp compositional solutions.

Mystical artist

Twister of lovers

William Blake was one of the most original artists in the history of world art, although he lived a life that, at first glance, was prosaic and boring. He never even left London (except for the three years that he lived on the estate of one of his patrons). One explanation for this can be found - Blake did not need external impressions, since his soul was always filled with internal impressions.

The formation of the artist’s personality was largely influenced by his parents. Blake's father was a very educated man for his circle. This education, however, was of a special nature - Blake Sr. read Swedenborg and Boehme, and was fond of mystical treatises and visionary revelations. He did not limit the freedom of children in any way. And thus, little William quite early began to read everything that came to hand - that is, all the same Boehme and Swedenborg. Soon the impressionable boy told his mother that he “saw angels in the trees and the prophet Ezekiel on the lawn.” The mother spanked the young visionary (the Blake family, undoubtedly, was not entirely ordinary, but the children in it were still not allowed to “talk nonsense”).
See the world in one grain of sand

And the whole cosmos is in a blade of forest grass,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And in a fleeting moment there is eternity...
William Blake

ADAM AND EVE

LOST HEAVEN

Blake the artist's "mystical style" did not develop out of nowhere.According to contemporaries, Blake remained a deeply religious man all his life. He believed that art, religion and imagination are inseparable, like the Holy Trinity. And the master consistently brought this idea to life. Other artists of his time - for example, Flaxman and Füsli - also preferred imaginary subjects over subjects taken “from life”. However, if for them it was, by and large, a game, then Blake took his paintings more than seriously.

ADAM AND EVE

His works are not always amenable to unambiguous deciphering; they sometimes hide several layers of meaning, their symbolism is complex and multifaceted. This is what distinguishes Blake's paintings from the paintings of his contemporaries, since even if the latter included certain " mysterious symbols", then all this was very naive symbolism. It was not difficult to guess the "riddle". Not so with Blake, in whose small-format paintings (this is another difference from his contemporary painters - he almost never painted "large-scale" canvases ) there are a great many symbolic messages hidden, not all of which can be immediately discerned.

NEBOCHUDONOSER

Among the painters of the past, Blake singled out Michelangelo, admiring the power of his images. Another feature of Blake's work is that in it the artist was often guided by visions. Over time, it became increasingly difficult for him to separate them from real life. Blake himself said that these visions "are not just a cloud of fog; they are so distinct that they constantly remind us of the existence other world, no less real than this mortal world."

GREAT ANCHITECT

It was only in the second half of the 19th century that interest in creative heritage artist. One of Blake's admirers was Dante Gabriel Rossetti. As a ten-year-old boy (in 1847), he accidentally bought an album of Blake's sketches, and from that moment his love for this (already completely forgotten by that time) artist began. In 1893, the now famous poet William Butler Yeats became interested in the work of our hero, and in 1920 Thomas Stearns Eliot wrote about him. But it took several more years for interest in Blake to become all-English. It was only in 1927, when the centenary of the death of the artist and poet was celebrated, that Blake was finally recognized as “one of the greatest artists in Great Britain.”

DANTE AND VIRGIL AT THE GATES OF HELL

The unusualness of Blake's world will be felt by anyone who opens a volume of his poems, illustrated with engravings. The poems and drawings from the very beginning formed a single artistic complex - this explains a lot about their imagery. Even more significant is the fact that Blake was forced to remain on the sidelines of the literary battles of his century, his tastes, hobbies, and controversies. From his popular notions. Even from his everyday poetic language.

In 1826, Linell instilled in Blake an interest in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work inspires William to create a whole series of engravings. But Blake's death in 1827 prevented him from realizing his bold idea, and only a few works in watercolor and only 7 test prints remained completed. But even they were admired:

‘Despite the complexity of the content of the Divine Comedy, the watercolor illustrations for it, talentedly executed by Blake, are among greatest achievements artist. Mastery in the field watercolor painting in his works rises to a completely new level, this is evidenced by the effect that Blake achieved, managing to recreate the absolutely unique atmosphere of each of the three “worlds” through which the hero wanders, in his illustrations.’

Blake's illustrations for the poem do not literally accompany what is described; rather, they force a critical re-examination of what is happening, sometimes providing a new vision of the spiritual and moral aspects of the work.

COURT OF PARIS

In the family of a shopkeeper. He was the third of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. William never attended school, receiving his education at home - he was taught by his mother. His parents were Protestants and very religious people, so throughout his life the Bible had a strong influence on Blake’s worldview.

Even as a child, Blake became interested in copying Greek scenes from drawings that his father acquired for him. The works of Raphael, Michelangelo, Martin van Heemskerck and Albrecht Dürer instilled in him a love of classical forms. Gradually this activity grew into a passion for painting. His parents, knowing the boy's hot temperament and regretting that he did not go to school, sent him to painting lessons. True, during these studies Blake studied only what was interesting to him. Then he became interested in poetry.

BIG RED DRAGON

The Creator archetype is an image that appears frequently in Blake's work. Thus, the demiurge Urizen prays before creating the world. "The Terrible Los" is the third in a collection of books illustrated by Blake and his wife, better known as the Foreign Prophets. The Blakes were "sectarians" and were supposed to belong to the Moravian Church. WITH early years The Bible had a profound impact on Blake. Throughout his life, she would remain his main source of inspiration.

BIRTH OF CHRIST

On the day of his death, Blake was working tirelessly on his illustrations for Dante. It is said that he finally put aside his work and turned to his wife, who had been sitting on the bed next to him the entire time, unable to hold back her tears. Looking at her, he exclaimed: “Oh, Kate, please remain still, I will now draw your portrait. You have always been an angel to me." Having completed the portrait (now lost and not extant to us), Blake put aside all his brushes and accessories and began to sing hymns and songs. At 6 o'clock in the evening of the same day, having promised his wife that he would be with her forever, Blake went to another world. Gilchrist said that a woman who lived in the same house and was present at Blake's death said: "I saw the death not of a man, but of a blessed angel."

ILLUSION TO THE POEM "PARADISE LOST"

William Blake (eng. William Blake; November 28, 1757, London - August 12, 1827, London) - English poet, artist and engraver. Almost unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered an important figure in the history of poetry and visual art of the Romantic era. Lived all his life in London (except three years in Felpham).

Although Blake was considered mad by his contemporaries, later critics noted his expressiveness and the philosophical and mystical depth of his work. His paintings and poems have been characterized as romantic, or pre-romantic. A believer in the Bible but opposed to the Church of England (as well as all forms of organized religion in general), Blake was influenced by the ideals of the French and American Revolutions. Although he later became disillusioned with many of these political beliefs, he maintained friendly relations with the political activist Thomas Paine; was also influenced by the philosopher Emmanuel Swedenborg. Despite all his influences, Blake's work is difficult to categorize. The 19th century writer William Rossetti called him "a glorious luminary" and "a man neither anticipated by his predecessors, nor classified by his contemporaries, nor superseded by known or supposed successors."

Blake was born on November 28, 1757 in London, in the Soho area, in the family of shopkeeper James Blake. He was the third of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. William attended school only until the age of ten, learning there only to write and read, and was educated at home - he was taught by his mother Catherine Blake (nee Wright). Although his parents were Protestant Dissenters from the Moravian Church, they baptized William in the Anglican Church of St. James in Piccadilly. Throughout his life, Blake's worldview was strongly influenced by the Bible. Throughout his life, she would remain his main source of inspiration.

Even as a child, Blake became interested in copying Greek scenes from drawings that his father acquired for him. The works of Raphael, Michelangelo, Maarten van Hemsker and Albrecht Dürer instilled in him a love of classical forms. Judging by the number of paintings and well-bound books that William's parents bought for William, it can be assumed that the family was, at least for some time, prosperous. Gradually this activity grew into a passion for painting. His parents, knowing the boy's hot temperament and regretting that he did not go to school, sent him to painting lessons. True, during these studies Blake studied only what was interesting to him. His early works show familiarity with the works of Ben Jonson and Edmund Spenser.

On August 4, 1772, Blake entered into a 7-year apprenticeship in the art of engraving with engraver James Besyer of Great Queen Street. By the end of this period, by the time he was 21, he had become a professional engraver. There is no record of any serious quarrel or conflict between the two, but Blake's biographer Peter Ackroyd notes that Blake would later add Basyer's name to his list of artistic rivals, but would soon cross him out. The reason for this was that Besayer’s engraving style was already considered old-fashioned at that time, and teaching his student in this way could not in the best possible way influence the skills he acquires in this work, as well as future recognition. And Blake understood this.

In his third year of study, Basyer sent Blake to London to copy picturesque frescoes of Gothic churches (it is quite possible that this task was given to Blake in order to exacerbate the conflict between him and James Parker, another student of Basyer). Blake's experiences while working at Westminster Abbey helped shape his own artistic style and ideas. The abbey of that time was decorated with military armor and equipment, images of funeral dirges, as well as numerous wax figures. Ackroyd notes that "the most strong impressions were created through alternation bright colors, now appearing, now seeming to disappear.” Blake spent long evenings sketching the abbey. One day he was interrupted by children from Westminster School, one of whom tortured Blake so much that James forcefully pushed him off the scaffolding to the ground, where he fell with a terrible crash. Blake had visions in the abbey, for example, he saw Christ and the apostles, a church procession with monks and priests, during which he imagined the singing of psalms and chorales.

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Name: William Blake

Age: 69 years old

Activity: poet, artist, engraver

Family status: was married

William Blake: biography

Big things can be seen from a distance. These Yesenin words fully characterize the attitude of contemporaries and descendants towards William Blake. Only in the 20th century did the artist, poet and philosopher receive the title of an outstanding figure in English art and literature. During his lifetime he was considered possessed by the devil.

Blake's main source of creativity was the Bible. But the author of the symbolic “Great Architect of the Universe,” who lived in the era of scientific breakthrough, did not like any church and eventually created his own mythology - a combination of Enlightenment principles with religious dogmas.

Childhood and youth

William Blake was born in London in November 1757 and lived all his life in the British capital, not needing the external influence of his environment - the master was content with internal experiences.

William owes the way his biography turned out to his parents, who did not limit the freedom of their heirs. My father ran a shop in Soho where he sold fabrics. The mother raised children, of whom 7 were born, but two died as infants. The family was quite educated for that time, although with some peculiarities. If we were talking about books, then the works of the natural scientist Emanuel Swedenborg and the mystic Jacob Boehme were read in the house. Blake's passion for painting began with reproductions of paintings, and, which were purchased specifically for his son.

At the age of 10, William went to art school, then worked part-time in an engraving workshop, while learning how to apply designs to hard surfaces. Sketches in Westminster Abbey forever instilled in the heart of the future genius a love for religious motifs and the Gothic movement.

In 1778 Blake entered the Royal Academy of Arts, but educational institution didn't graduate. The reason was the young artist’s non-acceptance of the eclectic style preached by the teachers and the desire to force students into a strict framework. The young man found the classics of the High Renaissance closer. After leaving the academy, William began making money by making engravings based on other people's drawings. Blake devoted 40 years of his life to this type of art.

In 1784, having received an inheritance after the death of his father, William, brother Robert and partner James Parker opened a printing house that produced book illustrations.

Painting

In the paintings of William Blake, in addition to religiosity, one can see a craving for mythology and symbolism, bordering on fantasy. The artist drew parallels between the Holy Trinity and the union of religion, imagination and art: in both cases, parts of a single whole do not exist separately.

To decipher the messages hidden in the paintings, the viewer will need knowledge about the time in which the creator lived and Holy Scripture. According to legend, William saw God back in early childhood. As he grew older, he talked about the angels clinging to the tree. Later voices joined the visions. This may have prompted Blake to invent illuminated printing, in which the image was accompanied by verse.

The works of the famous Briton are characterized by closed volumes and forms, in places they are clearly graphic, violating generally accepted laws of composition. An example of this is the illustrations of Revelation.

The apostle's writings spoke about the number of the devil 666, the 4 horsemen and the beast of the Apocalypse, the harlot of Babylon and the second coming. It is not surprising that such a colorful narrative prompted many artists to visually embody the characters.

Blake also presented his vision. In 1805 and 1810 he wrote two versions of “The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in the Sun.” The first painting is kept in the National Gallery in Washington, the second in the Brooklyn Museum. In both, the body of the monster immediately catches the eye, however main character, if you follow the content of the “Apocalypse”, is a woman lying in the lower part of the canvas, personifying for some the Church, and for others the Mother of God.

According to William, "the light of other worlds" helped create Jacob's Dream. Central figure The painting “Joyful Day, or the Dance of Albion” is a combination of the image of Christ and the Vitruvian man. Using watercolors and inks in 1805, Blake painted the amazingly subtle, almost monochrome work “Angels Guarding Christ in the Tomb.” “Adam Gives Names to the Animals,” exhibited at the Pollock Museum in Glasgow, was executed on a wooden board using tempera technique.

The second title of the painting “The Great Architect” is “The Ancient of Days,” which is how God was designated in world religions. The author gave him the name Urizen. The engraving is an illustration for the book “Europe: A Prophecy.” In Blake's mythology, Urizen is the bearer of a negative, black force that seeks to make humanity uniform, and it is not without reason that he measures something with a compass.

Psychoanalysts, examining the canvas “Hecate”, see in it a refusal to master space, confusion, and art critics see another violation of pictorial canons: the goddess of witchcraft is depicted in the form of 3 separate figures instead of the traditional ones connected by their backs. And there are secret signs everywhere: an owl, considered a symbol of wisdom, and later of evil, an insidious snake with knowledge, Hecate herself, looking the tempter in the eyes, but she keeps her hand on the Bible.

Literature

The poetry and prose of William Blake, according to a number of experts, also do not fit into the generally accepted rules, this time of English philology. Nevertheless, for two centuries now fans of romanticism have been reading them, parsing them into quotes, and especially colorful lines have turned into aphorisms:

"Cunning is the strength of the cowardly"

“Every question asked has an answer”

The first collection of poems, entitled “Poetic Sketches,” was published in 1783. Then came the optimistic “Songs of Innocence” and the “Songs of Experience”, marred by the bitterness of the realization of reality. William designed illustrations for the books with his own hand, and both of these works were also included in one book, as a symbol of opposing states of the soul. The poem “Child Joy” was contrasted with the image of “Sick Rose”, “Echo in the Green” was contrasted with “Tree of Poison”, “Lamb” - with “Tiger”.

The essay “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” is a kind of answer to the poet and thinker John Milton to questions indirectly asked in the poem about “Paradise Lost”. William released a series of watercolor works for it. Ultimate ability, inherent in man, according to Blake - imagination, is given by Hell.

Paradise represents rationality and order. Evil becomes a force that changes the world, and Good in the traditional sense is passive and reactionary. But they cannot exist alone, and only their unity, that very “marriage,” gives birth to a holistic, spiritual personality.

Having been baptized into the Church of England, William Blake resisted religious dogma and ridiculed submission and repentance. On the other hand, the poems “On the Sorrow of a Neighbor” and “The Divine Image” are a hymn to the presence of God in the fate of every person, in joyful and sad moments.

Personal life

In William Blake's personal life there was much less searching and throwing than in his creative life. The poet met his wife Catherine Boucher at a time when he was experiencing the collapse of his previous relationship - the girl refused to get married. Blake married his chosen one in 1782.

In his wife, William found a loving and faithful friend, who was understanding of her husband’s

“there is a wealth of thoughts, delights of the spirit, a sound mind... But it is poor in earthly treasury.”

Catherine, who did not even know how to sign a marriage certificate, under William’s supervision learned to read and write, and make engravings. The woman will become Blake's inspiration in times of failure and his assistant in illustrating books.

Death

William Blake died in August 1827 in poverty. Before last days the artist worked on illustrations for the poem “ The Divine Comedy". Blake devoted a total of 102 drawings and many preliminary sketches to this work of the Italian thinker.

Like , the final resting place of the British genius was a common grave in the Bunhill Fields cemetery in London. After World War II, the authorities decided to establish a park on this site. Since no one knew about the exact location of the burial, they limited themselves to a memorial plate on which they wrote that “the remains of Blake and his wife lie nearby.”

In the 21st century, fans of William's work spent 2 years establishing a specific burial place. Ancient church books and the knowledge of modern landscape designer Carol Garrido came to the rescue. Investigating every centimeter, enthusiasts found the exact location.

The London Blake Society announced a collection of donations for a monument to the poet, caring people donated almost $40 thousand. And in August 2018, connoisseurs of romanticism found a place of pilgrimage. On William Blake's grave there is a white marble slab indicating his name, dates of life and death and the inscription: “Poet. Artist. Prophet". A photo of the gravestone was published by The Guardian.

• In 1949, Australian authorities established the William Blake Prize for contributions to religious art.
• Many years after his death, Blake was canonized by the Gnostic Catholic Church, despite his anti-religious position.

• In 1931, the ballet Job: A Masque for Dancing, the first created by an entirely British creative team, was staged at the Old Vic Theater in London. The ballet is based on the Book of Job from the Bible and was inspired by William Blake's illustrated edition published in 1826.
• Lines “Tiger, tiger, burning fear, You burn in the night forests. Whose immortal gaze, lovingly, Created the terrible you? sound in the series “The Mentalist” with and.

Quotes

“Engraving is a craft that I studied; I should not have tried to live by other labor. My heaven is brass, and my earth is iron."

“My works are better known in heaven than on earth.”

“Life is Action and comes from the Body, and Thought is attached to Action and serves as its shell.”

“Do not think that you are smarter than others, although others think that they are smarter than you - and this is your advantage over them.”

“When you waste your time on little things, you risk losing the whole thing.”

Paintings

• 1786 – “Oberon, Titania and Puck with Dancing Fairies
• 1793 – The Gates of Paradise. A series of illustrations for the poem “Paradise Lost”
• 1794 - “Joyful Day or Dance of Albion”
• 1795 – “Isaac Newton”
• 1805 – “The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun”
• 1810 - "Blake's Cottage"
• 1820 – “The Ghost of the Flea”
• 1820 – “The Sun is Angry”
• 1827 – “Anteus lowering Dante and Virgil into the last circle of hell”
• 1827 – “Whirlwind of Lovers”

Bibliography

• 1783 – “Poetic Sketches”
• 1789 – “Songs of Innocence”
• 1792 – “Song of Freedom”
• 1793 – “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”
• 1794 – “Songs of Experience”
• 1794 – “Europe. Prophecy"
• 1809 – “Milton”