Blake biography. William Blake: biography and works

The Mysticism of William Blake

See the world in one grain of sand
And the whole space 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 (28.11.1757-12.08.1827), 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 were clearly reflected in English art late XVIII- the 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.

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

Blake denies traditional composition and perspective; the exquisite linear forms of the painter’s works evoke the idea of 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 visual arts and literature, one of the most brilliant and original painters of his time.

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, looking back general view Based on 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 call it two centuries of 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 editions 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 to the strange and extraordinary creative destiny. main feature his 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. Overall, its creative works They represent a very definite 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 understanding. Such literary device, which combines 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.

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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 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?

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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. Towards 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 depth literary thought, and ease of use of the brush, which was not observed in him before.

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 is complex symbolic images and allegories for a long time remained incomprehensible and was considered indecipherable. 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, accompanying it short biography 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 was 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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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 simultaneously studying methods of applying 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 closer High Renaissance. 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.

Works famous British characterized by closed volumes and shapes, in some places – clear graphics, violation of 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 picture is stored in 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 strives to make humanity uniform; 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"

"For any asked question there's an answer"

William Blake's poem "Tiger, Tiger..."

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 the questions indirectly asked in the poem about “ Lost heaven" William released a series to her watercolor works. 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 an integral, 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 true friend, with understanding regarding the fact that her husband

“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. The ancients came to the rescue church books and the knowledge of contemporary landscape designer Carol Garrido. 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 entirely British creation, was staged at London's Old Vic Theatre. creative team. 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, loving, 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”

“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. “Due to endless adversity, she has long lost her former beauty, except for that which gave her love and speaking eyes, sparkling and black.”

BookJob. WilliamBlake

Blake William (28.11.1757-12.08.1827), 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 of the late 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries were clearly reflected: the master’s attraction to visionary fiction, allegorism and mystical symbolism, appeal to a bold, almost arbitrary play of lines, and sharp compositional solutions.

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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 of the world, in which reality and imagination merge together.

An engraver and book illustrator by profession, Blake expressed his talent in poetry and in strikingly powerful mystical and symbolic paintings. The spiritual world seemed to William Blake to be more important than the material world, and a true artist was seen by him as a prophet endowed with the divine gift of insight 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. Beatrice talks to Dante from her chariot

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.

100% 1

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.

83% 2

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 his way of thinking, his state, 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.

During his life, William Blake managed to create a huge number of 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.

50% 5

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, The Complete Works of William Blake was published. Blake revealed himself to the world not only as the apocalyptic seer that people used to consider him, but also as the author of witty epigrams and aphorisms, as an original thinker and critic, far ahead of his orthodox, rigid age.

As for Russia and the countries of the 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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William Blake - English writer, engraver and artist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Today he is considered one of the most significant creative figures romantic era. He was not recognized during his lifetime, but today his contributions are appreciated, and no one considers him crazy anymore. About the life and work of this amazing person we'll talk about it in this article.

William Blake: biography. Childhood

As a child, his father bought drawings with Greek subjects for his son, and the boy quickly became interested in copying them. It was the works of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Durer that introduced him to classical forms. William became more and more interested in painting, and his parents decided to hire an artist for lessons. However, in these classes the boy studied only what he liked, ignoring everything else.

Studies

In 1772, William Blake became a student of James Besyer, a famous engraver. The training ended after 7 years; by this year the aspiring artist was already 21 years old. His training gave him the right to be considered a professional engraver. During this time, he gained invaluable experience by copying Gothic frescoes of London churches, including Westminster Abbey.

In 1779, Blay began his studies at the Royal Academy, located near the Strand. Education was free, but students had to buy their own tools and supplies. Here Blake begins to argue against the "unfinished style fashion artists"(a striking example is the work of Rubens). The young artist himself preferred classical clarity and accuracy early creativity Raphael and Michelangelo.

Marriage

In 1780, when the notorious city riots of London began, Blake, according to eyewitnesses, took part in them and was among those who stormed Newgate prison. Although some biographers of the artist claim that he joined the crowd by accident.

Two years after these events, Blake meets Catherine Boucher, who will become his wife. At this time, the artist is trying to recover from a failed relationship, the end of which was the girl’s refusal to marry him. Your story unrequited love Blake tells Katherine and then asks if his girlfriend feels sorry for him. In response, he hears “yes” and answers, “then I love you.” Their wedding took place at St Mary's Church (Battersea). Katherine was illiterate and put a cross on her marriage certificate instead of a signature. The original of this paper is still kept in the church. The wife will become a support and support for her husband, who will not allow him to give up, despite frequent failures.

In 1783, William Blake published his first collection entitled Poetic Sketches. Poems included in it often include biblical stories and images.

A year after this, the artist’s father dies and William, using inherited money, opens a printing house and begins collaboration with the publisher J. Johnson. This man’s house was a place of constant meetings for the intelligentsia, including dissidents. Blake made acquaintance with many of them.

New impression method

In 1788, William Blake began experimenting with relief etching. The artist is honing a new method, which he will subsequently use to design his books, as well as to illustrate the Bible, his main masterpiece.

In fact, Blake made a real revolution in the field of prints, changing the very process of its production. In addition, the relief etching invented by the artist brought commercial success as well as fame to its creator.

But in his work, Blake did not limit himself only to this method of engraving and used such popular ones as intaglio.

Problems with the authorities

William Blake, whose poems were less popular during his lifetime than his drawings, moved to Felpham (Sussex) in 1800 with his wife. Shortly before this, the couple gave birth to a girl, who was named Tel, but the child did not survive. Thus, Blake had no heirs.

At the same time, the artist’s relationship with the authorities deteriorates. In 1803, the conflict reaches its climax when Blake gets involved in a fight with soldier John Scofield. After this, William was accused not only of assault, but also of uttering seditious and seditious speeches that discredited the name of the king. Scofield confirmed these accusations. However, the jury found Blake not guilty, and the newspapers called the case fabricated.

In 1804, the artist returned to London and began illustrating “Jerusalem,” his most ambitious work. At this time, he opens his exhibition, where everyone can purchase his versions of illustrations of popular books. But this idea ended in failure - not a single painting was sold.

In 1818 Blake began work on the illustration of the Book of Job. Subsequently, it was these drawings that would delight Ruskin.

Last years and death

William Blake's books sell with varying success and are not particularly popular among great circle readers, although they are admired by individual artists. This situation continued throughout the creator’s life.

Blake spent his last years at Fountain Court, continuing to work. Even on the day of his death he was engaged in illustrations for Dante. His wife sat next to him, shedding tears. Noticing this, the artist asked the woman to freeze and painted her portrait, saying that she would forever remain an angel for him. Having finished the drawing, Blake put it aside and began to sing poems and hymns. He died at 6 pm, promising his wife that he would stay with her forever. The artist was buried in the same cemetery where his parents found peace. This was a place called Bunhill Fields.

After her husband's death, Catherine became a housekeeper in the Tatem household. It was this person who, after her death, received many of Blake's manuscripts and drawings. The owner of the house considered some of them heretical and burned them.

Today the exact place of the artist’s burial is unknown, since the cemetery was leveled and only a lawn remained in its place. Nevertheless, it became a place of pilgrimage for fans and admirers of Blake’s talent.

Creation

William Blake has always had a great penchant for mythologizing. His creativity in early period appealed to biblical images, but gradually he began to move away from them, creating his own myths and symbols.

At the same time, the early works of the poet and artist literally breathe rebellion and rebellion against basic religious tenets. A striking example This is the “Marriage of Heaven and Hell”, where Satan appears as the main character struggling with the authority of God. Gradually, Blake's works begin to dominate humanistic ideas, as well as themes of redemption, self-sacrifice, forgiveness. Nevertheless, rejection of the authoritarianism of traditional religion remains.

Such views could not please his God-fearing contemporaries, which is why the work of the poet and artist enjoyed so little popularity.

Works

Despite public rejection, William Blake continues to work. His works are gradually being published. The most prolific year in this regard is 1793, when 5 of his books were published at once: “The Gates of Paradise”, “America”, “Visions of the Daughters of Albion”, “Europe”, “The Book of Urizen”. Later, the collection “Songs of Experience” appears. On the pages of these books, the poet conducts an active dispute with the Almighty, deviating from religious dogma, but actively turning to biblical symbols. It is not surprising that these works did not increase his fans. But failure did not stop the poet, and Blake continued to write.

He made illustrations for all his works himself, using the developed method. These engravings would later become no less popular than the poet’s poems, but Blake would not be destined to see this.

"Comedy" by Dante

In 1826, the artist received a large order for a series of engravings for the new edition of The Divine Comedy. Unfortunately, due to his death in 1827, Blake was unable to complete the work. In just a year, he managed to make several watercolor sketches and 7 prints. However, even they aroused admiration and were named one of greatest achievements artist.

It is worth noting that these illustrations are not a literal depiction of what is happening in the poem. Rather, they critically rethink these events, allowing us to see new moral and spiritual sides of the Comedy.

Due to the fact that the project was not completed, final plan Blake remained unknown. And according to most researchers, some conclusions about this can be drawn only by familiarizing yourself with the entire series of drawings.

The created prints and sketches depict only the first part of the Comedy, dedicated to hell. The artist did not have time to begin illustrating purgatory and paradise. This circumstance makes it even more difficult to understand the meaning of all creation. Nevertheless, it was the work on “ Divine Comedy"brought Blake his greatest fame and glorified him as an artist.

An unusual and amazing personality

The poet William Blake attracts attention not only for his unusual creativity, but also a very mysterious person. The surprising thing is that he cannot be called a mature artist, or poet, or philosopher. The fact is that his painting goes against the generally accepted canon, his poetry violates the norms of the English language, and his philosophy is inconsistent and not always logical.

However, all this together created a grandiose and majestic creator. Blake tirelessly tried to comprehend laws of the universe, and understand and describe spirituality. His works are a combination of poetry, philosophy and drawing. This has never been seen in human art.

But this one unusual way self-expression allowed the writer to most clearly and clearly express his view of the world, religion and man. Blake's works indicate that he was endowed with a very subtle and deep inner world. His perception of reality set him apart from his contemporaries. He subtly felt this world and tried to convey this feeling to those around him. Unfortunately, what made him a great creator prevented those around him from understanding him. Blake's views were so different that they simply could not understand and accept him.

William Blake: quotes

Here are some of the most famous sayings writer:

“The despicable needs contempt like a fish needs water, like a bird needs air.”
“Drive the plow and cart over the bones of the dead.”
“The nakedness of woman was created by God.”
“Whoever wishes, but does not act, creates a plague.”