[Lucy2]

let's get this blake ball rolling again.... so this is his life...

Blake’s Life (1757 – 1827)
·Went to drawing school, student at royal academy
·Self- taught, an autodidact
·Relied on Bible and Milton (saw as his predecessor) – Milton politically a revolutionary, while justifying the ways of God to man, he justified Satan’s rebellion against tyranny (Blake also thought repression breed revolution, as Freud said a century earlier)
·Lived nearly all life in London
·Limits of birth and death, trade and marriage
·Unremitting labour for small return
·Closest to youngest brother but he died – Robert also saw visions and wanted to be an artist – conversed ‘in the spirit’
·Hated restraint and authority – parents ambiguous: dad gave money for artist ambitions. Parents disapproved of marriage to ‘servant’ class Catherine
·Claimed to have visions, eccentric, did not publish poems in ordinary way by having them printed, but instead engraved them
·Taught to read and write at home
·Critics: Blake’s visions were way of explaining a new idea or insight or clinical psychology explanation ‘eidetic imagery’ Peter Ackroyd
·Visions were perceptive and intelligent revelations and he had continuous awareness of his surroundings when having them
·Then were common, not signs of mental illness: London had lots of groups of religious and political enthusiasts
·Few object that he saw visions, just what he saw
·Too individual to join in organisations
·Read Swedenborg, Swedish spiritual philosopher – but left this recognised church when it become trapped by organised religion
·Blake had outrage for injustice and cruelty
·Met many radicals (republican writer Paine, radical bookseller Joseph Johnson) – but most of his social action was independent of any organisation
·Political views more radical than most of his contemporaries’
·Part of well-off circle for a while, sang his lyrics in Reverend Mathew’s drawing room
·Blake not politically active himself – sympathetic to American and French revolutions and to spirit of freedom
·Christian in the Dissenting tradition
·Met Varley, a painter
·“The Ancients” group adopted Blake as master of these artists
·Some long lasting friendship – Henry Fuseli (more successful £)
·Thomas Butts helped Blake financially (struggle for commission)
·Attacked a soldier (let off), shouts of damning King and country


who has context stuff?!