William Blake, English, 1757 to 1827, colored print on wove paper finished in pen and watercolor, The Prophecy of The Crucifixion, illustration for John Miltons, Paradise Lost, 1808. William Blake and John Milton lived through two of the most tumultous periods of European history, so perhaps it is not surprising that Blake would have been drawn to illustrate Miltons great epic. Blake completed sets of water color illustrations to Paradise Lost. William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. Antique English Religious Graphic Art Prints and Paintings For Collectors.