Paul Spencer-Longhurst

Being a catalog for an exhibition of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's paintings and drawings produced in and around the 1860's which incorporates several paintings by others who influenced or were influenced by Rossetti. This art is from Rossetti's most popular period; they are preceded by a good, if longish, biographical and critical overview of the period. The plates are reproduced well and in adequate size and are accompanied by very thorough captions which almost always explicate provenance, the model, and thoughts on symbolism, deeper meanings, and a context in Rossetti's life. These are beautiful paintings which have regained popularity in the last half-century, but diversity is not a strength; virtually every one depicts a beautiful woman in an antique context, shown in a waist-up portrait and usually hemmed in by greenery., flowers, and masonry. Most Rossetti fans won't care, for this is what they like, and the critical apparatus herein is outstanding.… (meer)