Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882)

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Full name: Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti

Nationality: British

Artistic movements: Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Symbolism, Aestheticism

 

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a British painter, poet, and translator. He was one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), a group of English painters, poets, and critics founded in 1848. The PRB sought to return to the detail, intense colors, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian art (before Raphael), rejecting what they saw as the formulaic approach of the Royal Academy.

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His father was an Italian political exile and Dante scholar, which gave Rossetti a lifelong love of Dante Alighieri, from whom he took his name. Rossetti’s work is often rich in medievalism, myth, and symbolism.

Art Style & Themes Rossetti’s paintings are known for their lush, sensual, and idealized depictions of women, often inspired by literary or mythological sources. His early works were deeply medieval, but over time he developed a more personal and symbolic style, focusing on themes of love, beauty, and longing.

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His women, often red-haired with elongated necks and wistful expressions, became almost iconic of the Aesthetic movement. They weren't just models but muses, lovers, and symbols—perhaps the most famous being Elizabeth Siddal, Jane Morris, and Fanny Cornforth.

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As a Poet Rossetti was also a respected poet. His poetry often echoed the same themes as his paintings: beauty, desire, death, and spiritual yearning. His major poetic works include:

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• The House of Life (a sonnet sequence exploring love and art)

• Translations of early Italian poets in The Early Italian Poets (1861)

 

Legacy Rossetti’s influence was immense, both in art and literature. His lush, decorative style and emphasis on aesthetic beauty paved the way for the Aesthetic Movement and Symbolism. He was a key figure bridging the Romanticism of the early 19th century and the decadent, Symbolist art of the later Victorian era.

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His life was also tinged with tragedy—especially his tumultuous relationships and the death of Elizabeth Siddal, which haunted him deeply.