William Blake (1757–1827) was an engraver who made a living running a print shop in London. In addition to the work he did for his clients, he also laboured on what he called his ‘prophetic works’, collections of his own poems that he illustrated himself. Blake believed the artist was a seer capable of capturing the true, hidden essence of the universe. He claimed that throughout his life he experienced visions of gods, creatures and monsters, and his poems and illustrations explore this unique, mystical and spiritual world. 

Blake was an artist far ahead of his time. Because of this, his contemporaries ignored him or deemed him mad. The one review he received for his only personal exhibition labelled him an “unfortunate lunatic” and his art “the wild effusions of a distempered brain.” He was forgotten until the 1860s, when his work began to receive recognition. Since then, his reputation has grown enormously. His works have influenced art movements ranging from the nineteenth-century Pre-Raphaelites to the American counterculture of the 1960s. Today, Blake is regarded as a seminal figure in English poetry and visual art, and his works are widely studied in English schools.

Today, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is dedicating a new exhibition to Blake, framing his work in its historical context. Although Blake’s art is based on his personal visions, it also expresses his thoughts on the turbulent events of his times, such as the French Revolution and the rise of industrialism. Blake’s work is compared to that of other artists who sought “spirituality in their lives and art in response to war, revolution and political turbulence.” The exhibition demonstrates how Blake’s opposition to war and exploitation remains relevant for us today, living as we do in similar, troubled times.

(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image: Thomas Philips, Ritratto di William Blake, 1807. Olio su tela. Londra, National Portrait Gallery. Particolare.)