William Blake was more than just a poet. He was “The Voice
of England,” “A Prophet of Europe,” and a visionary. From a young age he saw
visions on angels, in response he wrote poetry of these visions and then later
in his life revived the art form of the illuminated book. He created his own
copper etchings to create his books after studying under James Basire. Without
the art his work is simply words on a page. The etchings themselves morph into
his poems and create a new level of thinking about his poetry. His contemporaries
called him crazy and he wasn’t even a well-known figure during his life time. It
wasn’t until decades after his death that his work would become one of the most
crucial pieces of art in all of British history. Below are examples from his illuminated book "Songs of Innocence and Experience"
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The cover of Songs of Innocence and of Experience
http://www.ursusbooks.com/item31915.html |
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| Blake's London |
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| My personal favorite Blake's A poison Tree |
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