What was William Blakes upbringing like?
He was born in Soho, London, where he lived most of his life, and was son to a hosier and his wife, both Dissenters. Blake’s early ambitions lay not with poetry but with painting and at the age of 14, after attending drawing school, he was apprenticed to James Basire, engraver.
Who was William Blake and why was he important?
William Blake was a 19th-century writer and artist who is regarded as a seminal figure of the Romantic Age. His writings have influenced countless writers and artists through the ages.
How did William Blake make a living?
In 1784 he set up a printshop with a friend and former fellow apprentice, James Parker, but this venture failed after several years. For the remainder of his life, Blake made a meager living as an engraver and illustrator for books and magazines.
What was William Blake passionate about?
Blake’s early childhood was dominated by spiritual visions which influenced his personal and working life. A passionate believer in liberty and freedom for all, especially for women, he courted controversy with his views on Church and state.
What does William Blake wanted to be when he’s still a child?
His parents did, however, encourage his artistic talents, and the young Blake was enrolled at the age of 10 in Pars’ drawing school. The expense of continued formal training in art was a prohibitive, and the family decided that at the age of 14 William would be apprenticed to a master engraver.
What were William Blakes beliefs?
Blake believed that the repression of sexuality caused personal unhappiness and social ills, such as prostitution, which in turn led to poverty and venereal disease. Instead, he believed in ‘free love’, although there is no sign that he put his beliefs into practice in his life.
What was Blake’s main passion in life?
All his life he was a rebel against the misuse of power and a free thinker, but above all, he was a man of passion. Here is a Blake poem which is thought to express his advocacy of free love, Earth’s Answer: Earth raised up her head, From the darkness dread & drear.
What was unique about William Blake?
He invented an entirely new method of etching, which he used to create his “illuminated books.” While making a living on commercial projects and commissions, Blake searched for a way to print and publish his own poems.
What is William Blake’s most famous poem?
The Tyger is not only the most famous work of William Blake but also one of the most popular poems in the English language.
Did William Blake have a child?
William Blake did not have any known children. He married Catherine Boucher in 1782 in London and the two were married for about 45 years, but they…
How was William Blake important to the Romantic period?
William Blake was a visionary artist and poet who expressed his ideas in words and images, which he combined in his rare, hand-coloured and hand-printed books. Poems such as The Chimney Sweeper and The Tyger are among his best-loved and from his poem Milton are the words to Jerusalem, set to music by Hubert Parry.