Lives of Blake

William Blake (1757-1827), hailed as "the glorious luminary" by William Rossetti, is one of the great mystics in the history of Western art. His hallucinatory paintings, watercolours and in particular the illustrations he made for his books of poetry are instantly recognisable, and have inspired generations of artists in his wake. Although he was largely ignored by his contemporaries, or derided as mad, a number of perceptive critics and commentators took great interest in both the man and his work. This volume brings together some of the most illuminating writings by people who knew Blake, and brings this astonishing visionary to life. They include the frank cultural appraisal, by the hugely perceptive diarsit Crabb Robinson, never before published in full in English, and the first full biography by Blake's friend and fellow artist John Thomas Smith. Martin Myrone is Lead Curator, British Art to 1800, at the Tate. In 2019 he presented the biggest exhibition of Blake's works seen for over quarter of a century. His exhibitions at Tate Britain also include Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli, Blake and the Romantic Imagination (2006), William Blake's 1809 Exhibition (2009) John Martin: Apocalypse (2011) and British Folk Art (2014). 63 colour illustrations