William Blake Research Paper

Born November 28th, 1757, William Blake was largely unrecognised in his lifetime. Now, he is considered an important figure of the arts in the romantic era.

Blake was the third of seven children, two of which died in infancy, and baptised December 11, 1757. The Bible was an early and extreme influence on Blake, and remained a source of inspiration throughout his life.

When Blake was four, his friend and journalist wrote that Blake saw God’s head appear in a window. At age ten, Blake claimed to have a vision of a tree full of angels, and was enrolled in Henry Pars's drawing school, where he sketched the human figure by copying from plaster casts of ancient statues. At age 14, he apprenticed with an engraver. Also around this time, Blake …show more content…
Also preparing himself for a career as a painter, that same year, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art's Schools of Design, where he began exhibiting his own works in 1780.

In August 1782, Blake married Catherine Sophia Boucher, who was illiterate. Blake taught her how to read, write, draw and color. Catherine believed explicitly in her husband's visions and his genius, and supported him in everything he did, right up to his death 45 years later.

One of the most traumatic events of William Blake's life occurred in 1787, when his beloved brother, Robert, died from tuberculosis at age 24. At the moment of Robert's death, Blake allegedly saw his spirit ascend through the ceiling, joyously; the moment, which entered into Blake's psyche, greatly influenced his later poetry.

While Blake was an established engraver, soon he began receiving commissions to paint watercolors, and he painted scenes from the works of Milton, Dante, Shakespeare and the Bible. From 1809 to 1818, Blake was devastated by the review and lack of attention to his works, and he withdrew more and more from any attempt at success. He also sank deeper into poverty, obscurity and

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