William Blake

William Blake was arevolutionary poet and artist: "I know myself both Poet &Painter", he wrote. In his paintings he created visionary images thatchallenge conventional perceptions; in his poetry he joined words and images inthe stunning form of the 'illuminated book', where verbal and visual depictionsinteract. As a Romantic poet and religious visionary, he questioned Romanticassumptions and rewrote Biblical tradition in a radical mythology for his ownhistorical moment. He welcomed the eruption of the French Revolution andattacked Britain's wars against Revolutionary France, assaulting the socialinjustices of his day and critiquing the politics and psychology of power.Steve Vine's study introduces the full range of Blake's poetry and illuminatedbooks from the early Songs to the late epics, and focuses on the sociallyradical and challenging nature of his art: on Blake's attempts to open the'doors of perception' beyond limiting visions and ideologies—to what hecalled 'the infinite'.