Concetti Chiave
- William Blake was a London-born artist and engraver who developed the "illuminated printing" technique, blending visual art with literature.
- His collections, "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience," explore themes of childhood innocence and its corruption by life experiences.
- Blake was deeply engaged with political and social issues, creating works that responded to the cruelty of the slave trade and child exploitation.
- He developed a complex personal mythology in his prophetic works, which are challenging to interpret due to their mystical and metaphysical themes.
- Despite initial lack of recognition, Blake's later years were more fulfilling, culminating in his illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy before his death in 1827.
William blake's early life
William Blake was born in London in 1757, the son of a small tradesman. He soon began to show his artistic inclination, and at the age of fourteen he wa apprenticed to an engrave under whose directions he received a good training.
He developed his own original relief-engraving technique, the “illuminated printing”, which he used for the rest of his life to produce his relief and could be printed in any time he was better known a san engraver than as a writer.
Songs of innocence and experience
Songs of Innocence appeared in 1789. They are a collection of simple poems etched on cooper with hand coloured decorations. The poems are centred around the figure of the child and focus on the theme of innocence. The Songs of Experience (1794) show that innocence is corrupted and destroyed by experience – which is part of life.
In spite of being a visionare, Between 1794 and 1795 the other prophetic works appeared. In poems like The Book of Urizen (1794) and The song and Book of Los (1795) – just to quote the most famous – Blake developed his own mythology. The systems of these works is hard to decode, because it is based on the poet’s own mystical and metaphysical systems. The same vision emerges from hia great symbolical poems Milton (1803-1808) and Jerusalem (1804-1820). These last works contain beautiful lyrics, but they are not easily understood.
Later years and recognition
Blake was often disappointed by the lack of recognition that his work received, and suffered from fits of depression. From 1810 to 1817 he lived in retirement and poverty, occasionally selling copies of his books.
His last years were happier. He met young artists who appreciated his art and helped him get more work. In 1825 he made illustration to Dante’s Divine Comedy, and was still working at them when he died in 1827.
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual era la tecnica originale di incisione sviluppata da William Blake?
- Quali temi affrontano le opere profetiche di Blake?
- Come furono gli ultimi anni di vita di William Blake?
William Blake sviluppò la tecnica di incisione a rilievo chiamata "stampa illuminata", che utilizzò per tutta la vita per produrre le sue opere.
Le opere profetiche di Blake affrontano temi politici e sociali, come la crudeltà del commercio degli schiavi, lo sfruttamento dei bambini e la subordinazione delle donne, ispirandosi a eventi come la Rivoluzione Francese e l'indipendenza delle colonie americane.
Gli ultimi anni di vita di William Blake furono più felici, poiché incontrò giovani artisti che apprezzavano la sua arte e lo aiutarono a ottenere più lavoro, come le illustrazioni per la Divina Commedia di Dante.
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