William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet and painter during the Romantic Movement era and largely unknown during his lifetime. He was an extraordinarily imaginative individual. This is evidenced by the range shown in his artistic endeavors, even though he kept himself within a days walk of London, except for once. Blake was considered a madman by his contemporaries for his views, though more recent critics have praised his ability to express his philosophies and mystical undertones in his work.
Blake was born to a middle class family in London, England, the third of 7 children. The family was thought of as dissenters, and had shirked the Church of England in favor of the Moravian Church. He received no formal education, instead he was taught at home by his mother. The bible was a great influence on Blake and was a continued source of inspiration throughout his life. His works embraced “imagination” as the body of God.
William Blake is such a unique individual as a poet and an artist that he could not even be classified along with his contemporaries, despite being influenced by many of the ideals and philosophies of those surrounding him. Though Blake seems to have rejected religion, references to religion are found throughout most of his work, adding a distinctive brand, referred to as Illumination, to the romantic writings of that era. Blake believed he received visions, mostly angelic in nature and sought to express the emotion that he felt with the world through his works.