William Blake: dipinti e dove vederli

William Blake (Londra, 28 novembre 1757 – Londra, 12 agosto 1827) è stato un poeta, pittore e incisore britannico.

L'opera di Blake, largamente sottovalutata mentre egli era in vita, venne poi considerata estremamente significativa e fonte di ispirazione sia nell'ambito della poesia che in quello delle arti visive. Secondo Northrop Frye, che si dedicò allo studio dell'intero corpus poetico di Blake, i suoi versi simili a profezie costituiscono "Quello che, in rapporto ai reali meriti, è il corpus poetico in lingua inglese meno letto". Altri hanno invece lodato l'arte pittorica di Blake e un critico del XX secolo lo ha proclamato "Di gran lunga il più grande artista che la Gran Bretagna abbia mai prodotto." Considerato un tempo pazzo per le sue idee stravaganti, divenne poi molto apprezzato per la sua espressività, la sua creatività e per la visione filosofica che sta alla base del suo lavoro. Come ha suggerito egli stesso:

Anche se la sua pittura e la sua poesia sono state solitamente valutate separatamente, Blake spesso se ne servì di concerto per creare opere che sfidassero e sostituissero le convenzioni in uso. Si definiva capace di discutere e confrontarsi con i profeti dell'Antico Testamento e profuse un grande sforzo per creare le illustrazioni per il Libro di Giobbe, ma l'amore dell'artista per la Bibbia si affiancava ad un'aperta ostilità verso la Chiesa d'Inghilterra, e le sue convinzioni religiose erano influenzate dall'attrazione per il Misticismo e dalla fascinazione verso il movimento romantico, che a quel tempo era in pieno sviluppo. Alla resa dei conti, la difficoltà che si incontra nel tentativo di inserire William Blake in un qualsiasi periodo o movimento della storia dell'arte è forse la caratteristica che meglio riesce a definirlo.

Blake ha svolto un ruolo cruciale per lo sviluppo del moderno concetto di immaginazione nella cultura occidentale. La sua convinzione che l'umanità possa superare i limiti a lei posti dai cinque sensi è forse il suo più grande lascito:

Mentre un tempo questa prospettiva era considerata aberrante, al giorno d'oggi è stata incorporata nella moderna definizione del termine.

Cronaca

1757
Nascita · 28 novembre 1757
London
Residenza · 1757–1782
Broadwick Street
Evento · in childhood
Childhood visions: God at the window, angels in the haystacks
According to Blake himself, his childhood included mystical experiences: God's face pressed against his window, angels among the haystacks, and a visit from the prophet Ezekiel. The Bible was an early and profound influence on him and remained a source of inspiration throughout his life.
Evento · in childhood
Copies classical drawings bought by his father
His father bought him drawings of Greek antiquities, and Blake began to engrave copies of them. In these drawings he found his first exposure to classical forms, through the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Maarten van Heemskerck and Albrecht Dürer.
Evento · 11 December 1757 · London
Baptised at St James's Church, Piccadilly
Although the Blakes were Moravians and English Dissenters, William was baptised on 11 December 1757 at St James's Church, Piccadilly.

1767
Formazione
Henry Pars Drawing School
Teacher
Henry Pars
Evento · c. 1767
Reading of his own choosing and his first poems
After leaving school at ten, Blake read avidly on subjects of his own choosing and began to explore poetry; his early work displays knowledge of Ben Jonson, Edmund Spenser and the Psalms.

1772
Carriera · 4 August 1772 · London
Apprenticed to the engraver James Basire
On 4 August 1772 Blake was apprenticed for seven years to the engraver James Basire of Great Queen Street, and at the end of the term, aged 21, he became a professional engraver. Basire's line-engraving was held to be old-fashioned, and Blake later added his name to a list of artistic adversaries, then crossed it out.
Teacher · 4 agosto 1772 – 1778
James Basire
1774
Evento · c. 1774 · London
Sketching in Westminster Abbey
After two years Basire sent Blake to copy images from the Gothic churches of London, perhaps to settle a quarrel with his fellow apprentice James Parker. In the Abbey, boys from Westminster School teased him; he knocked one off a scaffold, and after Blake complained to the Dean the schoolboys' privilege of entry was withdrawn.
Evento · c. 1774 · London
Visions in Westminster Abbey
Blake claimed to have experienced visions in the Abbey: he saw Christ with his Apostles and a great procession of monks and priests, and heard their chant. His close study of the Gothic, which he saw as the “living form”, left clear traces in his style.

1780
Mostra · 1780–1808 · London
Exhibits six times at the Royal Academy
Despite his antagonism towards Reynolds, Blake submitted works to the Royal Academy on six occasions between 1780 and 1808.
L’epoca · June 1780 · London
The Gordon Riots: Blake in the mob at Newgate
According to his first biographer, Alexander Gilchrist, in June 1780 Blake, walking towards Basire's shop, was swept up by a rampaging mob that stormed Newgate Prison, and he was reportedly in the front rank. The riots, a response to a parliamentary bill revoking sanctions against Roman Catholicism, became known as the Gordon Riots.
1781
Famiglia
Meets Catherine Boucher
In 1781, recovering from a relationship that had ended in a refusal of his marriage proposal, Blake told the story of his heartbreak to Catherine Boucher and her parents and asked whether she pitied him. When she said yes, he declared: “Then I love you.”
1782
Teacher

1791
Residenza
Hercules Buildings
- Fertilization of Egypt1791
- David Hartley1791
Pubblicazione
Illustrates Mary Wollstonecraft's “Original Stories from Real Life”
Blake illustrated Mary Wollstonecraft's “Original Stories from Real Life” (2nd edition, 1791). They seem to have shared some views on sexual equality and the institution of marriage, but no evidence is known that they ever met.
1793
Opera
“Visions of the Daughters of Albion”
In “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” (1793) Blake condemned the cruel absurdity of enforced chastity and marriage without love and defended the right of women to complete self-fulfilment.

1800
Evento
Moves to Felpham for his patron Hayley
In 1800 Blake moved to a cottage at Felpham, in Sussex, to take up a job illustrating the works of William Hayley, a minor poet.
Evento · 1800–1803 · Felpham
Disenchantment with his patron Hayley
Over time Blake came to resent his patron, believing that Hayley was uninterested in true artistry and preoccupied with “the meer drudgery of business”. This disenchantment has been speculated to have influenced “Milton”, where Blake wrote that “Corporeal Friends are Spiritual Enemies”.
Luogo di lavoro · settembre 1800 – settembre 1803
Felpham
- The Ghost of Samuel Appearing to Saulc. 1800
- Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves ("Lord Remember Me")

1818
Incontro
Meets John Linnell
In 1818 George Cumberland's son introduced Blake to a young artist named John Linnell; through him Blake later met Samuel Palmer and received the commission for the Dante illustrations.
Incontro · after 1818
The Shoreham Ancients: meeting Samuel Palmer
Through Linnell Blake met Samuel Palmer, who belonged to a group of artists who called themselves the Shoreham Ancients; the group shared Blake's rejection of modern trends and his belief in a spiritual and artistic New Age.