1784, after his father died, Blake began to cooperate with the famous publisher Joseph Johnson. Among Johnson's collaborators, there were many outstanding British figures at that time, such as Joseph Presley, mary wollstonecraft and Thomas Payne. Blake and mary wollstonecraft soon became good friends and were invited to create illustrations for their works. After 1788, four poems were published one after another.
From 1825, Blake suffered from illness, and then he decided to complete the work of illustrating Dante's Divine Comedy in a limited time before his death. But until his death, he failed to complete this huge project, but there are still a large number of famous paintings handed down from generation to generation. William blake was born into the family of a men's clothing dealer in London. Because of his unique personality, he didn't like the dogmatic atmosphere of orthodox schools and refused to enter school, so he didn't receive formal education. He likes painting and poetry since he was a child. Since the age of 10, he has entered the school of painting for three years and has shown extraordinary artistic talent. His father wanted him to pursue further studies with a famous painter, but considering the family burden and the future of his younger brother and sister, William gave up the opportunity and became an apprentice in the engraving and printing workshop. /kloc-when he was 0/4 years old, he studied with the woodcutter Basel for seven years. He was also sent to Westminster Abbey to carve tombstones.
Although he came from a humble background and didn't get a good education, it didn't stop william blake from developing his extraordinary intelligence. He read widely, even absorbed the philosophical works of Herlock and Bok, and had a deep understanding of the world very early. 1779, 22-year-old Blake completed his apprenticeship and became a freelance craftsman, carving for a living. Later, he chose to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts to realize his dream as a painter.
At the age of 25, he married the gardener's daughter Catherine Boucher and taught his wife to read and write, so that she could help her with her work. The young couple published a collection of poems and paintings called Songs of Innocence in a unique way combining calligraphy and painting. They did it themselves from beginning to end: Blake carved his poems and paintings on copper plates, and Catherine was responsible for stamping, coloring and binding. However, the efforts of the husband and wife did not bring appreciation and money at that time. Although a book sells for only a few shillings, it still sells slowly (today, a copy of this book can be sold for thousands of dollars at will).
Besides his wife, Blake also taught his younger brother Robert to draw, color and carve. /kloc-in the winter of 0/787, Robert fell ill and died. When Robert died, the sad Blake saw his brother's soul rising from the roof and "clapped his hands with joy". He believes that Robert's spirit will continue to visit him. In a dream, Robert told Blake the printing method-etching poems and illustrations on copper plates. Most of Blake's paintings are etched prints, and he himself has created a unique method to engrave the illustrations of poems and paintings on copper plates, and then print the pages with this copper plate and then color them. Black's poems and paintings are inseparable. Poetry is often a part of his self-carved page, and the two confirm each other.
Despite his poor life, Blake insisted on being the publisher of his own works, rather than being signed by others. In artistic creation, the poet with great personality has always insisted on watercolor and egg color, rather than media oil painting, which has long occupied the position of artistic authority. Joshua Reynolds, then president of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and a famous portrait master, did not appreciate Blake. He thinks that Blake has injected too many "subjective feelings and fantasy elements" into his paintings. At that time, young william blake didn't get the attention he deserved. From 65438 to 0784, Blake began to cooperate with the famous publisher Joseph Johnson. Blake and Johnson's collaborator mary wollstonecraft soon became good friends and were invited to create illustrations for their works. After 1788, four poems were published one after another. His poetry collection Song of Innocence (1789) opposes the asceticism of the church and affirms the beauty of life, which is related to his thoughts of opposing autocracy and sympathizing with the democratic revolution. His praise for Jesus and angels stems from his sincere Christian faith. His collection of poems, Song of Experience (1794), reveals the destruction of child labor and teenagers by the British government and church, including sighing for soldiers who were driven to war and cursing for selling women as prostitutes.
In the 1970s and 1990s, the American War of Independence and the French Revolution swept Europe and America, and the struggle against feudalism and colonialism also started in Britain. During this period, Blake wrote prophetic poems such as French Revolution (179 1) and America (1793), praising bourgeois democratic national revolution, denouncing feudal autocracy and demanding human equality. The latter poem also criticized the British colonial policy.
1804 The long poem Four Gods reveals that the industrial and commercial prosperity of the British Empire is based on exploitation and slavery. He described the ruler as a foreman who built an empire and supported the colonial war with industry. Workers built a gold building with 12 rooms (symbolizing one year 12 months) for the foreman day and night. The foreman fights in this huge palace during the day and worships ghosts and gods of unknown origin at night; Countless people groaned in the palace with shackles and handcuffs. Blake vividly described the sufferings of brick kiln workers. Although he was unknown when he was young, Blake's understanding and talent were still shining in the art circle at that time. In the diary of a contemporary, Ms. Charlotte Bly, she recorded her first impression of seeing Blake. It was a dinner for famous artists at that time, including Lawrence, then president of the Royal Academy. She wrote: "In addition to Sir Lawrence, there is also Mrs. M, and there is another artist who is not very famous, named Black. He is not a regular professional painter, but a person who loves art and pursues it happily. He is full of beautiful imagination and talent. Mr. Black has obviously abandoned all worldly concerns. He looks melancholy and gentle, but when he talks about the art he loves, his face shines. " "Although he has such talent, he obviously lacks the secular skills like Mr. Lawrence, that is, the ability to succeed in the secular society. Everything he said shows that his artistic thought is perfect and profound, and he is completely isolated from things in this secular world. "
Blake is indeed a crazy genius who is far away from the world, which reminds people of Van Gogh, another great crazy genius in the19th century. Once, Blake and his wife were seen sitting naked in the shade of the yard reading Paradise Lost. Seeing someone coming, he shouted happily, "Come in, this is Adam and Eve, you know." He once cooperated with other disciples in printing business, and then made a living by publishing his own etched copperplate prints and poetry collections. At the same time, Blake's artistic creation content is completely different from other painters. As we all know, in the history of western art, countless famous artists have painted countless works with the theme of the Bible, but only william blake used this as a means to express his dreams from a completely personal perspective.
"All forms are perfect in poetic conception, but this is not abstract, nor from nature, but from imagination." He said, "People whose thoughts have never roamed in heaven are not artists." 1809, Blake held a solo exhibition. In the preface to the exhibition catalogue, he wrote: "Is painting limited to a boring description of reality, showing only dying and dying objects, instead of having its own creations and dreams like poetry and music? Don't! That's not true! Painting, like poetry and music, exists in immortal thoughts and is ecstatic. " Because of his religious beliefs, Blake often describes the kindness and fraternity of Christ. Milton (1808) and Jerusalem in his later years (1820) both emphasized that "a gentle and kind savior" can transform tyrants, while "the cornerstone of an ideal Jerusalem city is pity, bricks are warmth, and paint is love and kindness".
18 17, william blake met the young painter John Linnel, who was admired by Linnel and introduced to other young painters, including Samuel Palmer. The friendship and admiration of these sincere friends gave old Blake a lot of comfort. With the support of Linnel, Blake completed the watercolor illustration of Job, and started the huge illustration of The Divine Comedy in 1820. This set of illustrations * * * has 102. Blake has been suffering from illness since 1825. Later, he decided to finish this work for Dante before he died. Until 1827 died in August, a few days ago, he was still working, "asking people to buy charcoal pens with the last few shillings", and then put it down after painting the last picture, saying "I have tried my best". 1827, 70-year-old Blake died in a humble apartment in Fountain Street, strand, London, accompanied by several good friends such as Linnel and Palmer. Although the painter's own life has ended, his great artistic influence has been growing and fermenting with the passage of time.