Symbolism In Beata Rossetti

The painting “ La Primavera” is a beautiful painting. When i first laid my eyes on it I was blown away by the detail, and the colors and I found myself wanting to know the story behind it. The “ La Primavera” was painted by Sandro Botticelli in the year 1482. The name of the painting translates in english to “ The Allegory of spring” which gives a hint to what the painting is all about although the true interpretation is difficult and still uncertain.

Obviously, being impossible to summarize the vast, esoteric, exegesis of Dante proposed by them, I am feeling obliged to try to highlight some common key of readings as, for example: 1) the relation between the symbol of the Cross (representing the Roman Church) and the Eagle (representing the Empire), whose doctrines are linked to mankind's need for salvation. These two institutions (Church and Empire), according Dante's thought, had to be both settled at the centre of Rome, as at the time of the Holy Roman Empire. In addition, according to Foscolo, Rossetti and Valli, Dante attacked the Church exclusively because he wanted the renewal of the spiritual dimension, where the Church had to abandon its material interests, leaving exclusively to the Empire the task to unify Peoples under a unique government. In this way, both Church and Empire would have been able to help humankind for their spiritual and material ends. 2) Another common key of reading, for Foscolo, Rossetti and Valli, is linked with the symbol of Beatrice, which is seen by the three interpreters, not as a real woman, but as a symbol of the wisdom, present in many ancient traditions. 3) I will try to highlight the fact that the esoteric reading of Dante, is considered by both, Foscolo and Rossetti in key heterodox, neo-Pythagorean and Ghibelline, while it is considered by Valli in super-catholic key. In brief, in my thesis, I will try to find all common passages of Dante's oeuvre, used by Foscolo,Rossetti and Valli, analysing and comparing them in a more rigorous possible

Nathaniel Hawthorne's work is unique. His writings are full of subtle imagination, analysis, and poetic wording. His short stories are known for their originality and for their ability to provoke the reader's thoughts. Although a large portion of his stories are allegories, Hawthorne's preference is to draw more heavily on symbolism (Pennell 13). His use of symbols adds depth to his stories and helps to reveal different aspects of his characters. In Rappaccini's Daughter, Hawthorne uses symbolism to create a modern day tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

While in Naples, Caravaggio completed The Seven Works of Mercy (Fig. 5) to be housed in the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia. Richard Spear described this image as “powerful mannered chaos” that “begins a pattern of such confusingly positioned bodies that often it is difficult to tell which limb belongs to whom” . This anarchy can be directly contrasted to his earlier works, such as the Boy with a Basket of Fruit (Fig. 1), where a singular subject is serenely identified. While Caravaggio’s expert use of light and shadow remains similar, the human form and the emotions the subjects evoke are drastically changed. Gone are the calm Caravaggio pieces, having been replaced by pandemonium and turmoil. The soft white seen on the drapery of androgynous boys will not come up in Caravaggio’s work again, as he now chooses to cloak his subjects in darkness. Roger Hinks expresses a similar explanation in his book Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: His Life, His Legend, His Work describing it as almost Gothic, with calculated light that serves to distort the bodies of Christ and the executioner. Hinks suggests that the “curious use of shorthand symbols and portmanteau actions” seen in the neurotic piece were not done out of haste and speed, but instead deliberate actions taken by a perturbed Caravaggio in order to evoke the sense of intensity that embodies the image as a

Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari (1266–1290) was a Florentine woman who has been commonly identified as the principal inspiration for Dante Alighieri’s Vita Nuova (New Life) in which Dante expresses the medieval idea of courtly love (see next paragraph for details on this). In Vita Nuova, Dante tries to write love poetry that was less centered on the self and more aimed at love as such: he intended to elevate courtly love poetry, many of its tropes and its language, into sacred love poetry. Beatrice for Dante was the embodiment of this kind of love—transparent to the Absolute, inspiring the integration of desire aroused by beauty with the longing of the soul for divine splendor.

Though The Vita Nuova suggests that she is a real woman , Beatrice hardly has any life outside Dante’s own mind. She effects him physically enough ; she makes him sigh , tremble . weep . But she has neither body nor character of her own . She is just a vision , an angel a divine messenger to Dante . Dante doesn’t even try to talk to her , even as the story proceeds he becomes incapable of resist on her presence or her sight. She is seen as Dante’s salvation in Divine Comedy . Dante considers her as ‘ a mirror of Christ ‘ , as a saint .

     Beatrice defines Dante’s being because as far as he is concerned she is the image of divinity and Christ on earth. Dante describes Beatrice as “the destroyer of all vices and queen of virtues.” Although no words were ever exchanged between the two, Dante was miserable after Beatrice’s death. He wept and mourned her death for a year and yet there was never any substantial interaction of exchanged words to conceive what in this lady’s silence to Dante could have possibly sparked such an admiration for her. The depth that he is able to feel for this lady through silent greetings indicates that Beatrice could possibly be an underlying representation of something highly regarded in life such as the church. She represented the epitome of all Dante wanted from life. Although the word was never said, inferences could be made to the symbolism that Beatrice personified. Beatrice’s death symbolizes how the innocent die for the guilty in order for the guilty to find salvation. As far as Dante is concerned, Beatrice is the model of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Beatrice dies because of her innocence, just as Jesus sacrificed himself for the guilty.

As he comments the importance of the diagonal in his previous works, this sculpture is described as angular in contrast with the modelling of the figure. The spirituality of the Blessed is emphasised by the violent movement of the fold of the mantles. Wittkower adds to the picture an inclination towards the classical linearity, as Bernini’s work did from the 1660s. He compares it with other artists from the same period, who tended to serene their designs towards the end of their lives. However, he emphasises on his interpretation of the sculpture as it portraits the emotional and dramatic effect that is considered typical of the baroque .

By studying particular art works or architectural works we are introduced into the history of that specific era, and how the Church played a part in people’s lives. We are able to see this in a work by Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, also known as Masaccio called The Holy Trinity which was created during the Renaissance period. Masaccio’s childhood, adolescent and adult years had a major influence on his art, and he also ultimately tried to convert people that had lost faith in the Church during the catastrophes such as the 14th century crisis that occurred prior to Masaccio’s birth (Thesis).

Rossetti was a man of many talents that accomplished many things in his lifetime and changing the way people looked at things on art, poetry, writings, sculptors, and politics. Changing the way people looked at the certain aspects of the world, Rossetti also faced hardship and grievances with conflict in his life. Strong enough to push through it, he was a man of wonders that unfold as he grows. This essay will explore the life of dante Gabrielle Rossetti the British pre-Raphaelite poet from London. Looking over his works and accomplishments starting from poems all the way to his other works. Examine the impact of Dante Gabrielle Rossetti mark in history and why he is or isn’t important.

Another work, Death in Venice, written in 1912 by Thomas Mann, is ironic in its storytelling regarding how death and beauty are, at times, linked. Much of the story revolves around the main character’s association between art, beauty, and death. It is interesting to note that the main character views the young boy he falls in love with as an exquisite work of art. He sees the boy as exuding youth and perfection, yet the reality is that the main character is weak and sickly. The belief the main character holds that youth, art, and beauty are the divine keys to life are ironic in that, again, the reality is that humans are mortal and death is inevitable, regardless of the beliefs an individual holds.

This painting portrays an unreal Beatrice in her ‘sudden spiritual transfiguration’ (Rossetti, in a letter of 1873, quoted in Wilson, p.86), with such relaxed and peaceful composure: her hands are opened in front of her and her lips are parted. It seems as if she had already prefigured her own death and welcomed it as a blessing. Beatrice’s

Piero della Francesca’s art has always been intriguing to the eyes of the lookers, analysers, every art pieces containing lots of symbolism and meanings. The Altarpiece Madonna and child with Saints adored by Frederico da Montefeltro was one of the work. Piero della Francesca was born in 1412 and was involved in the Early Renaissance movement. His style involved the use of humanism, geometric forms and use of perspective to create art. From what I saw in the piece Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints, the first thing I saw was a group of people surrounding a woman with a baby. The atmosphere of the piece seems to be solemn and grief even though the painting was painted in bright colours. It was the facial expressions of the people that depict that it may not be a joyous event. The knight was at the forefront of the painting and almost seems to be bigger than anyone else, it may suggest that he’s important in the piece. Piero also used linear perspective in the altarpiece, creating a sense of depth and the vanishing point at around Mary’s eyes. With the use of geometry, Piero managed to create the background architecture with such clarity which a lot of artists at that time couldn’t achieve.

Dante Alighieri was a writer, poet and political thinker of the late Medieval Italy. He was born in 1256 to a family of noble ancestry that had immensely participated in the Florentine political scene. His mother passed away few years after his birth and he was betrothed to Gemma Donati when he was twelve. He had two sons and a daughter out of the marriage with Donati. Beatrice Portinari was the woman Dante fell in love with at first sight, often referred to as his “courtly” love. His interaction with her was minimal but she appeared in a lot of his works including La Vita Nuova (The New Life). She is often considered his literary muse. Her early death devastated him and this was reflected in his poetry, when he began attributing divine qualities

Dante Alighieri’s life of lost love and exile from his home reveals an understanding of Dante’s philosophical epic, The Divine Comedy. The impact from famous classical writers and philosophers effect Dante’s use of interchanging language and style while his undying love for Beatrice remains a constant character in his works.