William Blake, born on November 28, 1757, and deceased on August 12, 1827, was an eminent English poet, painter, and printmaker. His creative genius was largely unrecognised during his lifetime, but today, Blake is hailed as a pivotal figure in the Romantic Age's poetry and visual arts. Northrop Frye, a 20th-century critic, remarked on Blake's "prophetic works," referring to them as "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language." His artistic prowess led 21st-century critic Jonathan Jones to acclaim him as "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." In 2002, Blake was ranked number 38 in the BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Despite spending most of his life in London, with a brief three-year interlude in Felpham, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich body of work, celebrating the imagination as "the body of God" or "human existence itself."

While contemporaries often viewed Blake as eccentric due to his unconventional views, later critics have lauded his creativity and expressiveness, and the philosophical and mystical depths in his work. His art and poetry, part of the Romantic movement and also considered "Pre-Romantic," were shaped by his commitment to Christianity and opposition to organized religion. Influenced by the French and American Revolutions, Blake later renounced many of these political ideologies but maintained a friendly relationship with political activist Thomas Paine and was influenced by thinkers like Emanuel Swedenborg. Blake's unique work defies easy classification.

Blake possessed visionary powers from childhood. His engraving of Joseph of Arimathea at the age of 16 already exhibited a personal symbolism for his mystical philosophy. He apprenticed with James Basire (1730-1802), leading to a profound study of Gothic art and a love for linear design and formal pattern. Despite tense relations with Joshua Reynolds at the Royal Academy Schools, Blake found kindred spirits in artists like Stothard, Flaxman, Fuseli, and Barry.

In the 1780s, Blake worked as a commercial engraver but soon immersed himself in a novel method of printing his illustrated poems in color, which he claimed was divinely revealed to him. His "illuminated printing" began with "Songs of Innocence" (1789). In Lambeth, he engraved "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" and began "Jerusalem." During his time in Felpham, he continued biblical watercolours for patron Thomas Butts and worked on "Jerusalem."

Returning to London, Blake created drawings for Robert Blair's "The Grave" and held an exhibition, issuing a Descriptive Catalogue. He met John Linnell, who ensured his livelihood and introduced him to a younger group of artists, inspiring a brotherhood called the Ancients.

Blake was a staunch nonconformist in art and life, experimenting with various artistic techniques. His art, intertwined with his spiritual visions and philosophy, sought to reveal the spiritual reality concealed by the visible world. Recognized for his genius posthumously in the late 19th century, Blake's extensive works are housed in significant collections, including the British Museum, the Tate Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and various American museums.