English poet, painter, and printmaker
William Blake
was born,
November 28, 1757
at 28 Broad Street (now Broadwick St.) in Soho, London
❦
Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. What he called his prophetic works were said by 20th-century critic Northrop Frye to form “what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language”. His visual artistry led 21st-century critic Jonathan Jones to proclaim him “far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced”. While he lived in London his entire life, except for three years spent in Felpham, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich œuvre, which embraced the imagination as “the body of God” or “human existence itself”.
Although Blake was considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, he is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterized as part of the Romantic movement and as “Pre-Romantic”. A committed Christian who was hostile to the Church of England (indeed, to almost all forms of organized religion), Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions. Though later he rejected many of these political beliefs, he maintained an amiable relationship with the political activist Thomas Paine; he was also influenced by thinkers such as Emanuel Swedenborg. Despite these known influences, the singularity of Blake’s work makes him difficult to classify.
A pioneer illustrator and designer too, in my humble opinion!
❦
So here’s a glimpse of his work & words
❦
“ To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”
❦
❦
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.”
❦
❦
“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern..”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“Drawing includes three and a half quarters of the content of painting… Drawing contains everything, except the hue.”
❦
❦
“If a thing loves, it is infinite.”
❦
❦
“ Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry? ”
❦
❦
“What is now proved was once only imagined.”
❦
❦
“Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”
❦
❦
“The imagination is not a state: it is the human existence itself”
❦
❦
“I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.”
Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion
❦
❦
“The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“Every Night and every Morn
Some to Misery are born.
Every Morn and every Night
Some are born to Sweet Delight,
Some are born to Endless Night.”
❦
❦
“Eternity is in love with the productions of time.”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity’s sunrise”
❦
❦
“Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair”
Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience
❦
❦
“Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed.”
❦
❦
“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is – infinite.”
❦
❦
“Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence.”
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
❦
❦
“He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.”
❦
❦
“Excessive sorrow laughs. Excessive joy weeps.”
❦
❦
“ My mother groaned, my father wept,
into the dangerous world I leapt.”
❦
❦
“Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.”
❦
❦
“ How can a bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing? ”
❦
❦
“ If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they’d immediately go out.”
❦
❦
“Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.”
❦
❦
“That which can be made Explicit to the idiot is not worth my care.”
❦
❦
“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.”
❦
❦
“ I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand.”
❦
❦
Illustrations to Milton’s “Paradise Lost”
Illustrations to “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”
Illustrations to “The Song of Los”
❦
This time I picked two songs inspired by and with segments of Blake’s poems.
The Doors
End of the night
[from “Auguries of Innocence”]
❦
Album: Break On Through (To the Other Side) [1967]
&
Coil
Love’s Secret Domain
[from “The Sick Rose”]
❦
Album: Love’s Secret Domain [1991]
❦
For more information on Blake:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-blake-39
https://poets.org/poet/william-blake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake
Marina Kanavaki 
Thank you for posting this. I love Blake’s poetry and it was so wonderful to see all of these images together in one place.
Ah, thank you! I only recently discovered his visual work. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙏
I had the privilege to see some of it at an exhibition in Oxford a few years back: a magical experience!
Magical is the perfect word! 😉
He certainly was ahead of his time, in a few ways.
Although the theme of religion is depicted often, he does stray. More importantly, he strays from accepted standards of technique in his time.
His illustrations of Paradise Lost seem the most concurrent to his era.
Your music choices follow suit. I especially love the choice of a “Doors” song. I’ll never recover from Jim Morrison.
Thank you for this, dear Marina!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Yes, he was ahead of his time and I find his compositions and page layouts really interesting.
On JM… me too. 😉
❤🤗😘🤗😘❤
❤🤗😘🤗😘❤ xoxoxoxowooofxo
❤🧡♥️🧡❤🧡♥️🧡❤
Before this post, I didn’t know this artist. At least now I know I enjoy his work … well, except for the Ghost of a Flea. To me, his style is clear with a touch of pizazz that seems to me to be a personal style. Thnks Marina for the intro!
I think he’s mainly known for his poetry. That’s how I knew him, so I was amazed to see his illustrations. I appreciate him more for his visions (visual and spiritual) than his actual paintings, some of which I really like.
Thank YOU, for joining in this journey.
Oh … that William Blake. 🙂
😉 🤣
I brilliant post dedicated to a man who saw the world through eyes of the future. Thank you, Marina.
“Eyes of the future” …beautifully said and very true. Thank you, my dearest Rebecca. Have a wonderful Sunday! 🤗😘
I live Blake !
Live Blake does sound fascinating!!! 😉
LOL! A typo – should have been “love.” But now you have me thinking about “living Blake” 😘
It’s a typical autocorrect typo… happens to me a lot. I was ‘pulling your leg’! 😉 Don’t get into any ideas! For your own sanity! ;-)😂🤣
😅🤣😂😁
😂🤣😉😉
Absolutely stunning collection of poetry and art! Thank you for gathering and sharing. Hugs!!!
Hi, my dear Mary Jo! So happy you enjoyed this collection. I was amazed at the volume of his work. Many hugs to you, and happy weekend!
🤗🤗🤗
😘🤗😘
Very well written. I came across William Blake in one of Dan Brown’s book. Some of his work is amazing.
Ah, thank you! I knew him more as a poet. As a designer, I really appreciate his illustrations, especially the ones with the full text in. I’m not that fond of all his paintings / drawings but his compositions and imagination are admirable!
Fair enough. I am not very familiar with his poetry, but with the very little that I have read, it is truly insightful and sometimes prophetic. His paintings, though dystopian at times, are well composed so to say.
Have a fantastic day dear friend. Cheers.
And you’re right!
You too, my friend and have a beautiful December!!!! 🙂
Hopefully. Thank you so much.
😉