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William Blake

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From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Date: 20080424
Author:

William Blake 1757-1827, English poet and artist, b. London. Although he exerted a great influence on English romanticism , Blake defies characterization by school, movement, or even period. At the same time no poet has been more sensitive or responsive to the realities of the human condition and of his time.

Early Life and Work

Blake's father, a prosperous hosier, encouraged young Blake's artistic tastes and sent him to drawing school. At 14 he was apprenticed to James Basire, an engraver, with whom he stayed until 1778. After attending the Royal Academy, where he rebelled against ...

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