William Blake (1757-1827) began his studies in art as a drawing student at the academy of Henry Pars in London as a young boy. He was an apprentice to the commercial engraver James Basire for five years before entering the Royal Academy Schools as an engraver at the age of twenty-two. In conjunction with this instruction, Blake was privately studying Medieval and Renaissance art. Blake sought to emulate the styles of artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Dürer in producing timeless, “Gothic” art, infused with Christian spirituality.