‘The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of a man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.’
More than just a forest?
[William Blake was an English poet, artist and printmaker who lived from 1757 to 1827. Today he is regarded as one of the most important figures of the romantic era, although during his lifetime he was often considered eccentric and received little mainstream recognition. In a letter he wrote on the 23rd of August 1799 to reverend John Trusler, he defends his vision on art and imagination. Blake tried to explain to him that people perceive the world differently. What evokes beauty and meaning for one person may appear to another as nothing more than just ordinary. According to Blake, our perception is shaped by the power of imagination. To him, the visible natural world often reflects a deeper spiritual reality.]
