British exhibition explores the roots of William Blake

An exhibition which explores the artistic roots of one of the most noted poets of the English language, William Blake, has opened at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum.

The exhibition, "William Blake: Apprentice and Master" which opened Friday, brought together prints, drawings, and poems from Blake's 50-year career, Xinhua reported.

"The show focuses on the creation of Blake as an artist and then Blake's role as a restless and revolutionary experimenter in technique," said Alexander Sturgis, director of the museum.

"So it is the technical side of Blake that we focus in this show," he added.

The exhibition recreated Blake's workshop, which was demolished in 1918, where he created and then reproduced many of his copper plate prints using a printing press.

The exhibition also includes more than 90 of Blake's most celebrated works.

Blake was a student of renowned 18th century portrait artist Joshua Reynolds at the Royal Academy in London where he studied for six years.

As part of his studies, Blake attended lectures on anatomy and autopsies, and his interest in the form of human bodies, particularly muscles, is demonstrated in some of the prints in the exhibition, such as "Nebuchadnezzar" and his print of Isaac Newton at work.

The exhibition runs at the Ashmolean Museum until March 1, 2015.