William Blake

William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and engraver. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. He lived in London almost his entire life, and produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus. His most well-known and best loved works include numerous watercolors and illustrations in addition to his written works that produced such stirring verse as The Tyger and the hymn Jerusalem.
“To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”
Look without and learn within; see within and learn without. As above so below – all men of wisdom echo this simple message. Skill and effort enable internal ideas to enter distinctly into the realm of external things. The highest level of artistic creation can beckon the sensitive viewer to actually perceive a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower.
As within so without: the universe is made of worlds within worlds, each mirroring the other perfectly. Locating the master key or principle of iteration reveals man’s own mysterious world to himself and simultaneously unlocks a glimpse of the pattern of the universe.
“All is within yourself, know your most inward self, and look for what it corresponds with in nature.”