William Blake by Bethan Stevens

William Blake by Bethan Stevens

William Blake (1757-1827) became one of the greatest English poets and artists. This book takes a look at the highlights of his career as both artist and poet, with beautiful colour illustrations of forty-five of his most striking and unusual works. Blake devised a unique method of self-publishing that enabled him to combine written text and illustration on the same page. The resulting books, which he printed and coloured himself with the help of his wife, were hardly known in his lifetime. But, following their 'rediscovery' by Rossetti and his circle in the mid-nineteenth century, they have become some of the most admired works of English romantic art. This book begins with a brief life-story of William Blake, focussing on interesting aspects of his life and personality. The key illuminated books, prints and engravings, and marvellous lesser-known works, are then explored. Blake's inspiration from literary works by Shakespeare, Milton and Blair are also illustrated. The final section investigates the influence of artists who were contemporaries of Blake and, in turn, the influence of Blake on successive generations of artists.

Bethan Stevens is a freelance curator and writer specialising in eighteenth and nineteenth century art and literature. She wrote her MA dissertation on the wood engravings of William Blake, and has catalogued the entire Blake collection in the British Museum.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780714126456
ISBN 10	0714126454
Title	William Blake
Author	Bethan Stevens
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	British Museum Press
Year published	2005-11-07
Number of pages	96
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable