Beata Beatrix
Artist: Dante Gabriel Rossetti (English, 1828–1882)
Date: 1871-1872
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
Description
Both a poet and a painter, Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a circle of Victorian artists united in their appreciation of medieval aesthetics and the “primitive” style of pre-Renaissance art. Rossetti found inspiration forBeata Beatrix in La vita nuova (The New Life), written by his namesake, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, in 1295. Rossetti’s scene draws a parallel between Dante’s love for the late Beatrice and his own aff ection for his recently deceased wife and muse, Elizabeth Siddal. While the picture is a tribute to Siddal, Rossetti was adamant that it does not represent her death; rather, the work portrays her as if in a trance or other spiritual state.