William Blake

Prophet, poet, painter, engraver William Blake (17571827) 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 artists achievement. Kathleen Raine details the enriching effect of mystical, alchemical and gnostic philosophy on Blakes 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. Raines compelling text guides the reader through the life and thought of this extraordinary artist. Fully alive to the uniqueness of Blakes 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 Blakes world view and explaining their prophetic qualities, their fierce energy, and their central place in British Romantic art. With 185 illustrations in colour