William Blake

English poet and printmaker
British (English), (1757–1827)
Blake became one of leading figures of what would later be called Romanticism. His most original work is to be found in his hand-printed books of prophecy and personal mythology, done by a process he called "illuminated printing." Blake was largely forgotten until Rossetti and other Pre-Raphaelites hailed his work as visionary, and by the 20th century his ideas were seen as blueprints for the counterculture ideas of the 1960s. His wife Catherine assisted him in hand-coloring his illuminated prints.