William Blake review – blazing heresies from the artist who blows Constable and Turner away

Tate Britain, London
We rightly acclaim his writing, but this exhibition brings us Blake the consummate visual artist, depicter of humanity’s divided nature

The poster for Tate Britain’s exhibition of William Blake uses the three Rs to sell this icon of the Napoleonic age to the turbulent Britons of 2019: “Rebel, Radical, Revolutionary.” It may seem an over-eager attempt to contemporise him – but Blake was all these and more. You could add pacifist (albeit a militant one who once got arrested after a heated debate with a soldier) and anti-racist, for as Blake’s devastating portrayal of a hanged slave in this show illustrates, he passionately protested against Africa’s subjugation.

Related: Heavenly visions of hell: Alan Moore on the sublime art of William Blake

William Blake is at Tate Britain, London, from 11 September until 2 February.

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