William Blake is a universal artist - an inspiration to visual artists, musicians, poets and performers worldwide as well as everyone who aspires to the ideals of personal, spiritual and creative liberty. His heroic story has inspired and invigorated generations: his personal struggles in a period of political terror and oppression, his technical innovation, his vision and political commitment, are perhaps never more pertinent. This book presents Blake as a visual artist for the 21st century. Accompanying the first major survey of William Blake's work to be held since 2000, William Blake presents a comprehensive overview of his work as a printmaker, poet and painter, foregrounding his relationship with the art world of his time and telling the stories behind some of the most iconic images in the history of British art. The chronological narrative and biographical focus helps the reader understand the life and the historical forces at work; and provides a framework for presenting up-to-date scholarship with an emphatically art historical (rather than literary) focus.