William Blake

Prophet, poet, painter, engraver - William Blake (1757-1827) was an artist of uniquely powerful imagination and far-reaching creative gifts. His work expresses the spiritual drama of the English national being, integrating poetry and visual art in a sustained work of visionary creativity unparalleled in English art history. Revealing Blake to be far more than a revolutionary social radical, this classic study reshapes our understanding of the artist´s achievement. Kathleen Raine details the enriching effect of mystical, alchemical and gnostic philosophy on Blake´s art. She unravels the complex, deeply felt symbolism expressed in his paintings and prints, and describes the powerful impact of his reading of Dante, Milton and the Bible. Raine´s compelling text guides the reader through the life and thought of this extraordinary artist. Fully alive to the uniqueness of Blake´s art - which has ´a reality, a coherence, a climate´ all its own - she introduces famous work such as Jerusalem, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Four Zoas and The Book of Job, relating them to Blake´s world view and explaining their prophetic qualities, their fierce energy, and their central place in British Romantic art. With 185 illustrations in colour