A presentation about Blake

8/9/2019 A presentation about Blake

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William Blake (1757-1827)William Blake in a portrait by Thomas Phillips.


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Born into a family of

humble origin in 1757.

Trained as an engraver, hepractised this craft until he

died.

Deeply aware of the great

political and social

issues of his age.

1. Life

William Blake, Portrait of Newton, 1!"

William Blake


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1. Life

William Blake, Portrait of Newton, 1!"

William Blake

# political freethinker, he

supported the French

Revolutionand remained aradical throughout his life.

$trong sense of religion.


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#n individualpoet, both in terms of his personal

visionand technique.

&ontemporary of the American War of

ndependenceand the French Revolution.

2. Blake the poet

William Blake


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'(plored the timeless struggle between the role

of la!and reasonand the powers of loveand

imagination.

)sed s"m#olsas part of a deliberate attempt to

a*oid any kind of realism it is the +real worldthat pre*ents man from percei*ing the greater

Realit"that lies behind him.

2. Blake the poet

William Blake


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$tudied the works of Raphaeland

$ichelangelo from the latter he

learnt the techni-ue of representing

e%aggerated muscular #odies.

$tudied the monumentsin the old

churches of ondon, particularly

Westminster A##e".

ater he studied at the Ro"al Academ"

of Art.

3. Blake the artist

Westminster #bbey

William Blake


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&onnected visual arts and

!riting, creating&illuminated

printing', a combination of picture

and poetic te(t. %e considered the

two aspects as a counterpartof

each other.

#lso made manyillustrationsforother authors/ works, such as

0ilton/s Paradise Lost.

3. Blake the artist

William Blake, Blossom, 1!

William Blake


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3. Blake the artist

0any of his paintings dealt with

religious su#(ects.

#lso drew illustrations for the

Bibleand a cycle of drawings

inspired by Dante/s Divine

Comedy.

William Blake

William Blake/s Illustrations of the Book of Job refer

to a series of 22 engra*ed prints illustrating thebiblical book of 3ob 4published in 1256.


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Blake wrote some prophetic

#ooks(The Marriage of

Heaven and Hell,Visions of

the Daughters of Albion,

AmericaandEuroe).

These books e(press Blake/s

own personal Romanticandrevolutionar"beliefs.

4. Blake the prophet

William Blake

William Blake,Vision of the Dauhters of

Albion, 1!8, ondon, Tate 9allery.


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5. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-1793)

William Blake

Blake/s purpose was to re*eal to

his readers the repressi*e nature

of conventional moralit" and

institutional religion.

:n the most famous part of the

book, the Proverbs of Hell,

wisdom is con*eyed through

pro*ocati*e and parado(ical

pro*erbs. Their purpose is to

energise thought. William Blake, Title page of The !arriae of"ea#en an$ "ell, 1!7.


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Willi Bl k


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Blake belie*ed in the reality of a

spiritual world but he thought that

/hristianit"was responsible for

the fragmentation of

consciousness and the dualism

characterising man/s life.

$o he had a *ision made up of

complementar" opposites.

%&oo$ an$ e#il'male an$ female'

reason an$

imaination' cruelty

an$ kin$ness

7. Complementary opposites

William Blake

Willi Bl k


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%Attraction an$

e*ulsion' eason

an$ +nery' ,o#e

an$ "ate are

necessary to"uman +-istence

%The .reator can be

at the same time the

&o$ of lo#e an$innocence an$ the

&o$ of enery an$

#iolence

%e stated; "#ithout Contraries

there is no Progression$.The possibility of progress is situated

in the tension #et!een contraries.

The two states coe%istin the human

being and in the &reator.

7. Complementary opposites

William Blake


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William Blake


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The poet becomes a sort

of prophetwho can see

more deepl" into reality

and who also tries to

warn man against the

evils of societ".

9. $he poet

William Blake

William Blake in a portrait by Thomas Phillips.

William Blake


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%ongs of !nnocenceiswritten in thepastoral mode

withsimple imager".:t

deals with childhoodas the

symbol ofinnocence.

10.Songs of Innocence (179) an%

Songs of Experience (1794)

William Blake

&o*er engra*ing from the 125 edition of

/ons of Innocence an$ of +-*erience.


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William Blake


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William Blake

The world of innocenceisfull of(o"and happiness,

while the world of

e%perienceis full ofcruelt"and in(ustice.

&o*er engra*ing from the 125 edition of


William Blake


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William Blake

The childbecomes theob=ect of Blake/s poetry

because he is closer than

the adult to the original

state of harmon" !ith

nature.&o*er engra*ing from the 125 edition of


William Blake


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Blake uses comple% s"m#olism

%owe*er, his language and synta(

are simple. %e often adopts an

apparentl" naive st"le, using a

plain, #nglo>$a(on *ocabulary, as

well as repetitions, refrains and

regular stress patterns which are

typical of #alladsand children0s

songsand h"mns.

To him a lamb or a tiger, a

chimney sweeper or a

ondon street were symbols

of a supra>natural reality?

they were ne*er to be taken

at their face *alue.

/hild innocence

Father e%perience/hrist higher innocence

11. Blake!s style

William Blake

William Blake


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)heme The e%ploitation of children.

e" images The cry "#ee$,darkness,

the Angel.

.evices $ymbols of innocence4lamb,

happy, dance, sing6.

/ontrast4black@white6.

ron"to criticiAe the institution.

12. The Chimney Sweeper

William Blake

William Blake, The .himney /wee*er, in

/ons of Innocence an$ of +-*erience,

1!7.

William Blake


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)heme the causes of man/s lack of

freedom.

e" images "The mind'forg(d manacles$?

three victims; the chimney>sweeper, thesoldier and the prostitute.

.evices;

Repetitions; %(in) e#ery and %mark(s)?

,"per#ole; %runs $own in *alace walls.

13.London

William Blake

William Blake, ,on$on, in /ons of

+-*erience, 1!7.

William Blake


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)heme nnocenceand the /reation.

e"images )he 3am#, the child, /hrist.

.evices;

Repeated questions, directed to the amb.

Ans!ersgi*en in the second stanAa.

d"llic setting of %stream an$ mea$.

:mage of 9od like both the ")ood sheherd$and"The Lamb of )od$.

14. The Lamb

William Blake

William Blake, The ,amb, in /ons of

Innocence, 1!.

William Blake


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)heme *od0s po!er in creation.

e" images The tiger as seen by

Blake/s poetic imagination; "fearful

symmetry$?"burning bright* fire of

thine eyes$.

15. The Tyger

William Blake

William Blake, The Tyer, 1!7, ondon,

British 0useum.

William Blake


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15. The Tyger

.evices;epeated 4rhetorical6 questions.

,ammering rh"thm 4like casting a

spell6.&reator presented as a #lacksmith.

Reference to m"thcarusand

4rometheus.

a a e

William Blake, The Tyer, 1!7, ondon,

British 0useum.

A presentation about Blake

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