The first painting we looked at was 'Dante's Dream', by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1871, this was his very last painting before he died. The painting was based on a poem by Italian poet, Dante Alighieri in 1295. The poem was called ‘La Vita Nuova‘, which in English means ‘The New Life‘. In it Dante dreams that he is led by love to the death-bed of Beatrice Portinari, the object of his unrequited passion. The model for Beatrice was Jane Morris (the wife of William Morris), with whom Rossetti had a long-term affair. Every woman Rossetti painted seemed to bare resemblance to Jane Morris. He painted her so much, that he could paint her portrait without her even being there in front of him.
In the painting Rossetti’s use of colour and connotations is very symbolic to the narrative of the poem. For example, he uses rich red colours that represent love, also there are two red doves entering and exiting the chamber which symbolise the transition from life to death. The attendants stood either side of Beatrice are wearing green which denotes mourning. On the floor there are poppies scattered around Beatrice, these poppies indicate the sleep of dreams and death. Apple blossoms are shown to signify a love that is unfulfilled, which refers to Dante and Beatrice’s unrequited love. And lastly, there is a flock of angels carrying a white cloud above Beatrice, symbolising Beatrice’s soul being carried up to Heaven.
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