He was also inspired by the ideals and philosophies of the French and American revolutions. Blake was a committed Christian who actively spoke out against the Church of England and most forms of organized religion. Blake spent most of his life in the teeming metropolis of London during a period of social and political upheaval that would profoundly influence his writing.Īlthough Blake’s work is emotional and creative, his contemporaries considered him outlandish because of his nontraditional views and the mystical undertones within his work. Under his advisement, Catherine became skilled in draftsmanship and later helped him print his illuminated poetry-texts and illustrations printed from copper plates and finished in watercolor by hand-for which he is famous today. In 1782, he married his beloved wife Catherine Boucher and taught her to read and write. At age 21, he left the apprenticeship and began engraving illustrations for novels like Don Quixote. Later, at age 14, William became the apprentice of a master engraver and began training for his lifelong career as an engraver himself. From a young age, his unique mind and creative spirit got him into trouble on occasion, but it also led him to enroll in a drawing school by the age of 10. He was a poet, painter, and printmaker largely unrecognized during his lifetime. William Blake was born in November of 1757 in London to a family of moderate means.
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