Dante Gabriel Rossetti: Portraits of Women

by Debra Mancoff

A beautifully designed gift book devoted to Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, taking a fresh and fascinating look at his exquisite portraits of women.   Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), best known and admired for his striking and seductive portraits of women, was one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists whose work is inspired by the art of the early Italian Renaissance. Rossetti’s powerful and unconventional portraits, with their sumptuous, jewel-like colors, are explored in this beautiful gift book. Rossetti defined his experiences through his passion for his subjects, and this book traces his deliberate intertwining of art and life. His models such as Jane Morris, Elizabeth Siddal and his sister Christina, were his inspiration, and in his rejection of conventional beauty, he redefined difference as desirable. Through his view of women, Rossetti confronted the staid nineteenth-century public with a new and powerful image of women, and the allure of that power is still felt today. 110 color illustrations

Genres: Art

144 pages, Hardcover

Published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[William_Furneaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

dante gabriel rossetti has been one of my favorite artists ever since i discovered him through his sister's work last year, and this book is a beautiful reinforcement to that assessment. mancoff does an admirable job highlighting both his genius as an artist and his more questionable characteristics. throughout the book she explores rossetti's understanding of his role as painter, and how that influenced his relationships with his "muses." the photographs of jane morris were a particularly fascinating inclusion