Biography

William Blake was born on November 28, 1757 in the Soho district of London, England. Since young, Blake was greatly influenced by the Bible, to the extent that he had numerous visions of God, prophets and angels. Blake received mostly home education from his mother, because his parents felt that he was different from other children.

At the age of ten, Blake’s parents sent him to a drawing school because he wanted to be a painter. Blake started to write poetry at the age of twelve. At the age of fourteen, Blake apprenticed with an engraver and got to know about Gothic styles. After his apprenticeship ended when he was 21 years old, Blake became a journeyman copy engraver. At that time, Blake also published his Poetical Sketches (a collection of poems written in the past 14 years).

In 1782, Blake married Catherine Sophia Boucher. Catherine was illiterate, so Blake taught her how to read and write. The death of Blake’s brother (Robert) in 1787 inspired Blake to produce a new method of printing his art work – illuminated painting.

In the later years of his life, Blake produced numerous works of art but his works were given negative reviews. This resulted in depression, poverty and paranoia for Blake. From 1819 to 1825, Blake was busy sketching “visionary heads” – more than 100 sketches of them – claiming that these historical figures actually appeared to him to be drawn.

On August 12, 1827, Blake passed away from an undiagnosed disease. It was only after his death that the world came to appreciate and recognize Blake’s contribution in the world of literature and art.