English Blake

"I enjoyed that book because it was one of the first that I read that took Blake seriously, as a great intellectual who can be questioned and probed, and who we can learn from as well as learn about. The title ‘English Blake’ also situates him on the island of Albion. In these days of Christian nationalism, social disputes about identity, many recent writers have distanced themselves from that. But I felt that in English Blake there is a love of country, of land. It’s maybe from more innocent times—in the pejorative sense—but it’s quite refreshing to read. It’s also very clearly written, a model of prose. I don’t think it is accurate at all. He certainly loved work that was out of fashion; he collected prints of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo , who were not in favour at the time. He critiqued, or really criticized, the dominant modes of art. Of Joshua Reynolds, he wrote: “This Man was Hired to Depress Art.” And he also knew great artists of the day—John Flaxman in particular. Both Blake and Flaxman illustrated The Divine Comedy . He went to a progressive drawing school, where he learned the great art of etching, which was a lucrative business at the time. Books were booming, and books needed plates and images. His work was very distinctive—you can instantly spot a Blake image—but he was also drawing on the great caricature traditions of the time. This was the golden age of cartoons, and you can feel that in Blake’s art as well. You know, he finds his voice. And I think, in most cases, distinctive voices are found because they are thoroughly immersed in the other voices around them."