Have you ever looked at a piece of visual art by J.R.R. Tolkien and thought ‘that looks a bit like Blake’?

In this online talk, PhD student Annise Rogers will examine why this might be so, even though, as far as we are aware, Tolkien never cited Blake as an influence.

Romantic connections, even within Blakean study, have tended to be based on texts. This is due, in part, to the slippery nature of the term ‘Romanticism’, a term difficult to define in literature, and even harder in visual art.

William Blake has always been an immensely important figure in the history of visual art, influencing artists and artistic movements such as the Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris, and Art Nouveau. J.R.R. Tolkien is commonly regarded as one of the forefathers of contemporary fantasy fiction. But what connects these two artists, and how are they visually connected?

Annise Rogers is a Post Graduate Researcher, writing her PhD on William Blake’s Vala, or, The Four Zoas in connection with biblical poetic forms. She has written for VALA: The Journal of The Blake Society, and has a chapter in the upcoming book The Romantic Spirit in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She is the Communications Director for Global Blake, an international network of scholars focusing on the art and poetry of Willian Blake. She is also a Trustee of The Blake Society.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND. This event is free for Members of The Blake Society. If you are not a member but would like to attend, you’ll be made very welcome, but we’d like to encourage you to make a small donation to The Blake Society. All donations and will help us fund our plans for Blake200 in 2027. The suggested donation is £3, or as you can afford.