William Blake: Art, Vision, and the Radical Imagination

An immersive single-session masterclass exploring William Blake’s illuminated printing, revolutionary philosophy, and prophetic imagination.

William Blake (1757–1827) stands as one of the most enigmatic and visionary figures in British cultural history—a radical poet, painter, printmaker, and mystic who defied the conventional orthodoxies of his era. This immersive, single-session webinar offers an engaging exploration into Blake’s extraordinary synthesis of illuminated art, radical politics, and prophetic verse. Centring on his profound critique of Enlightenment materialism and the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, the session investigates how Blake challenged the reign of pure reason, as memorably depicted in his iconic 1795 colour print Newton. Here, Isaac Newton is shown heroically proportioned yet submerged beneath the dark ocean of time and space, consumed entirely by geometric abstraction on an unrolled scroll while blind to the wondrous living cosmos around him.

Through close analysis of selected illuminated works—ranging from Songs of Innocence and of Experience to The Marriage of Heaven and Hell—we will unpack Blake’s revolutionary philosophy that ‘Without Contraries is no progression.’ Participants will examine his innovative ‘infernal method’ of relief etching, his intricate mythological universe of Urizen and Los, and his passionate defence of poetic genius against mechanistic dogma. Whether you are discovering Blake for the first time or seeking fresh scholarly insights into his enduring influence on modern literature, counterculture, and visual arts, this masterclass provides an illuminating gateway into his fourfold vision of human imagination. Encounter Blake’s timeless art firsthand: join leading Blake scholar Professor Jason Whittaker for an inspiring journey to see a World in a Grain of Sand and a Heaven in a Wild Flower.

Session Details & Highlights

• Format: Live 90-minute Single-Session Masterclass with Q&A
• Lead Instructor: Prof. Jason Whittaker (University of Lincoln)
• Core Artwork in Focus: Newton (1795 colour print)
• Key Texts: Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
• Key Themes: Enlightenment rationalism vs imaginative vision, illuminated etching techniques, mythological cosmos (Urizen, Los, Enitharmon)