Tate Liverpool to show 'William Blake ~ The River of Life'

Written by Alan Gillam Wednesday, 11 April 2012 22:36

LONDON.- At the end of 2008, Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture, Tate Liverpool is presenting a display of major works by William Blake (1757-1827), the renowned painter, printmaker, poet and mystical philosopher. Largely ignored in his own lifetime, Blake is today regarded as one of the great geniuses of British art, appealing to a universal audience. On view from 12 December 2008 until 22 March 2009, the Wolfson gallery will house selected William Blake masterpieces, in a spellbinding display that re-considers the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Revered as an important reference point for British culture and Romanticist Art, Blake’s influence extends far beyond visual arts, inspiring not only artists but writers, poets, musicians and illustrators. He was largely attracted to narratives and themes - including Biblical subjects and classical poetry - that enabled him to express the triumph of innocence and virtue over tyranny and hypocrisy. Blake’s philosophy was underpinned by unorthodox political beliefs, profound anti-materialism and the notion that there existed a more significant spiritual world beyond mere physical existence. This display uses his iconic works to consider the life cycle not as a predetermined journey, but rather as part of a totality within which life, death, resurrection and the afterlife belong to a greater spiritual realm.

Tate has one of the most important and extensive collections of William Blake work in the world. This display includes a special selection of his finest work, including the artist’s celebrated colour prints which have been influential in expanding the creative possibilities of the medium. Key works include a selection of Blake’s famed watercolour illustrations to Dante’s The Divine Comedy, as well as major paintings such as Newton (1795/c.1805),The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve (c.1826) and The Bard, from Gray (1809).

William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake's work is now considered seminal in the history of both poetry and the visual arts. Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced".

Visit The Tate Liverpool at : www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/

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