August 12th: The Day William Blake Died

Aged 69, William Blake died on August 12th 1827. At his bedside his wife Catherine sobbed, and Blake supposedly cried: "Stay Kate! Keep just as you are - I will draw your portrait - for you have ever been an angel to me." He did complete this portrait, however due to our carelessness the drawing has gone walkabout, which I think is for the best, as it keeps the couple's final moments together private and a mystery to the public. Instead we remember Blake for his poetry, painting and printmaking, however he is another of England's literary icons who is only credited and properly appreciated posthumously. 

The Blake's headstone

   Blake is, for some, the epitome of literature in the Romantic Age, creating works such as Songs of Innocence and of Experience, a collection of poems regarding concepts such as the contrast between childhood and the knowledge gained in adulthood. Other works, namely The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, contain elements of religion, which reflect Blake's own beliefs and his opposition to the Church of England. This text is also heavily influenced by the political aspects of the French Revolution.
   The artwork and printmaking is another significant feature of Blake's work, offering aesthetically pleasing illustrative sides to texts. For example, Songs of Innocence and  of Experience includes multiple illustrations decorating the poems, contributing to the meaning and essence of the words.
   Blake's tombstone can be found in Bunhill Fields in London, where his life and work can be commemorated and acknowledged to the great level it deserves.