Lear and Cordelia

1780–1808

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.

1803年10月–1820 · 居住

South Molton Street

1804

Returns to London and begins “Jerusalem”

In 1804 Blake returned to London and began to write and illustrate “Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion” (1804–20), his most ambitious work.

after 1804

Cromek cheats Blake; Stothard gets the commission

Having conceived the idea of portraying the characters of Chaucer's “Canterbury Tales”, Blake approached the dealer Robert Cromek with a view to marketing an engraving; Cromek, thinking Blake too eccentric to produce a popular work, promptly commissioned Blake's friend Thomas Stothard instead. When Blake learned he had been cheated, he broke off contact with Stothard.

c. 1808

Polemical annotations to Reynolds's “Discourses”

Around 1808 Blake gave vigorous expression to his views on art in an extensive series of polemical annotations to Sir Joshua Reynolds's “Discourses”, denouncing the Royal Academy as a fraud and proclaiming that to generalise is to be an idiot.

1809

An exhibition in his brother's shop: nothing sold

Blake set up an independent exhibition in his brother's haberdashery shop at 27 Broad Street in Soho to market his version of “The Canterbury Pilgrims” along with other works. It was very poorly attended, sold none of the temperas or watercolours, and its only review, in The Examiner, was hostile.