“Ɖs mêjr xibišn fôc̣sz on ɖ xtrōdnri lîf n wrc v Wiłm Blêc (1757–1827), printmêcr, pêntr n revlušnri powt v ɖ pṛfetc bcs. It xaminz hiz fwmešn az an ātist, aprntisšp az an ingrevr, n hiz mtyṛti jrñ ɖ 1790z ẇn h wz at ɖ hît v hiz pârz az bʈ an ātist n revlušnri powt. W olso xplor hiz inflụns on ɖ yuñ ātist printmêcrz hu gaɖrd arnd hm in ɖ last yirz v hiz lîf, includñ Samyl Pāmr, Jwj Ričmnd n Edẉd Calṿt.
Wn v ɖ most popylr Ñgliš ātists, Wiłm Blêc z stl wn v ɖ lst undrstd. Hiz radicl poḷtcs wr rflctd in hiz extrōdnri tecnicl iṇvešnz, ispešli in ɖ fīld v printmêcñ n ɖ iluminetd bc. Ɖs xibišn brñz tgɖr mr ɖn 90 v Blêc’s most seḷbretd wrcs n ofrz ny insîts intu hiz rmāc̣bl orijinaḷti n inflụns.
At a yuñ êj Wiłm Blêc šôd ātistc promis n, at ɖ êj v 15, wz aprentist t Jêmz Bazir, ɖ ofišl ingrevr t ɖ Ssayti v Antiqriz. Undr Bazir’z tyṭlij, Blêc wz sent ât t studi Lundn’z goʈc črčz n, most ptklrli, ɖ monymnts n dec̣rešnz in Westminstr Abi – an xpirı̣ns ẇč wz t pruv fwṃtv fr hiz lêtr stîl n imijri. Ɖ frst sẋn v ɖ xibišn lcs at Blêc’s ŕli wrc, xemplifayñ hiz olrdi unoʈdox aproč.
Aftr studiyñ at ɖ Antīc Scūl v ɖ Royl Acaḍmi, Blêc ôpnd a printšop wɖ hiz fwmr aprentiscolīg, Jêmz Pācr, n fṛm ɖs pýnt h bgan t asošiet wɖ ɖ līdñ raitrz n inṭlecčlz v radicl poḷtcs sč az Mẹri Wlstncraft n Toms Pein, hu gaɖrd at ɖ hâs v publišr, Jôzif Jonsn. Blêc wz sn pṛdysñ prints v stātlñ orijinaḷti, ẇč antisipet bî nirli a senčri ɖ moṇtîps md bî ātists sč az Edgar Degā fṛm ɖ 1880z onwdz. Ɖ xibišn xaminz Blêc’s tecnicl iṇvešnz in ɖ criešn v hiz iluminetd bcs, ẇč brwt a ny sfisticešn t culrprintñ. Amñ ɖ wrcs on dsple r svṛl v ɖ most xtrōdnri iluminetd bcs, includñ Ɖ Marij v Hevn n Hel, n a cmplit set v ɖ plêts fṛm Yṛp: A Prof̣si, tgɖr wɖ sm v ɖ fînist sepṛt plêts, amñ ɖm Nebŭc̣dnezr n Nytn.
Aprentis n Mastr wl olso lc at Blêc’s lêtr c̣rir ẇn, incurijd bî hiz frendšp wɖ ɖ yuñ ātist, Jon Linel, h dveḷpt an intrest in ɖ grt ātist printmêcrz v ɖ Rnesns sč az Albreħt Dürr n Lūc̣s van Lêdn. It wz Linel hu cmišnd ɖ last v Blêc’s grt siriz v wōtrculrz, ɖ iḷstrešnz t ɖ Bc v Jôb n t Dante. It wz ɖz wrcs, n abv ol ɖ sml wŭdcut iḷstrešnz t Vrjil’z Pastṛlz, ẇč inspîrd ɖ yuñ ātists Samyl Pāmr, Jwj Ričmnd, n Edẉd Calṿt, nôn az ɖ Ênčnts. Jrñ ɖ last ʈri yirz v hiz lîf, ɖe vizitd Blêc n hiz wîf in ɖer tu-rūm flat of ɖ Strand. Ɖs xibišn juxṭpozz mni v ɖ wrcs ɖ Ênčnts wd hv sīn on ɖz vizits, wɖ ɖer ôn ŕli wrcs. Amñ ɖ most nôṭbl r Pāmr’z grtst criešnz, ɖ six sīpı̣drōñz v 1825, n Calṿt’s xqizit wŭdcuts v ɖ lêt 1820z.
Wiłm Blêc: Aprentis n Mastr hz bn kretd bî Dr Mîcl Filips, Sentr fr Êtīnʈsenčri Studiz, Ynivrṣti v Ywc; n Mr Colin Harisn, Sīňr Kretr v Yṛpiyn Āt, Ašmołn Myziym.”