28.11.1757-12.08.1827

He was ahead of his generation. His fantasy and mystical view of the world were unrecognized by contemporaries, but his work, both in literature and in the visual arts, had a huge impact on modern culture. And that’s all about him, about William Blake.

He was born in a family of stockings on November 28, 1757. In those years, the school was not compulsory for children, and Blake stopped attending it fairly quickly, only by learning to write and read. The study was uninteresting to the young man, unlike the fine arts. However, the parents supported the son’s interest in drawing. Young William skillfully copied the works of old masters, who found in the editions.

In 1772, William Blake was apprenticed to engraver James Besyear. His training lasted 7 years, after which in 1779 Blake entered the Royal Academy. However, the views of the young artist on art did not coincide with the opinion of management and society as a whole. The Academy rejected all the works of William.

In 1804, the artist returned to London, and after a while opened an independent exhibition in the Soho area. The exhibition was held in his brother’s haberdashery shop, there were engravings for Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”, but it was unsuccessful, not a single picture was sold, and the only written review was negative. But, despite the lack of money and recognition, Blake worked hard and created a lot of both literary and graphic works. His worldview he reflected in the work, which was a combination of philosophical and mystical arguments about the fate of a person, about his destiny and path, as well as life in general.

In 1782, William Blake met his future wife Catherine. She believed in his talent, and throughout his life he understood how priceless help and support was to him. Among countless failures, Catherine did not let the flame of inspiration in her husband’s soul fade away, and also took part in the printing of his numerous illustrations.

However, Blake and died unrecognized on August 12, 1827. He was considered crazy even by those contemporaries who treated him favorably. Unfortunately, the grave of the artist was not preserved, but later, near the alleged burial place of Blake and his wife, a commemorative plate was installed.

Image: Blake William. Isaac Newton. 1795 (Tate Gallery, London, UK).