William Blake

William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, engraver, and visionary born in London. Guided by lifelong prophetic visions, he trained under engraver James Basire and at the Royal Academy. In 1782, he married Catherine Boucher, who became his primary artistic collaborator. Blake invented "relief etching" in 1788, enabling him to self-publish iconic works like Songs of Innocence and of Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Sustained by engraving commissions—notably illustrating Dante’s Divine Comedy under John Linnell's patronage—he created complex personal mythologies, posthumously becoming recognized as a foundational pillar of Romanticism.