William Michael Rossetti ( William Michael Rossetti [1] ; September 25, 1829 - February 5, 1919 ) is an English critic and writer . One of the first members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood . The son of an emigrant , Italian patriot and poet Gabriel Rossetti and Francis Polidori , brother of Maria Rossetti , painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and poetess Cristina Rossetti .
| William Michael Rossetti | |
|---|---|
| William Michael Rossetti | |
 photograph taken July 19, 1865 | |
| Date of Birth | September 25, 1829 |
| Place of Birth | London |
| Date of death | February 5, 1919 (89 years old) |
| Place of death | London |
| Citizenship | Great Britain |
| Occupation | essayist, literary critic |
| Years of creativity | 1904 - 1919 |
| Language of Works | English |
Content
Biography
From a young age, William Rossetti was interested in painting and literature. He became one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite fraternity (in 1848 ), as well as an unofficial organizer and bibliographer, edited the Pre-Raphaelite magazine The Germ (“Rostock") and published his poems there.
From 1850 to 1858, William Rossetti wrote art articles for The Spectator magazine , from 1861 to 1865 . worked in Fraser's Magazine , and from 1873 to 1878 - at The Academy . He also published critical works, for example, Contemporary Art ( Fine Art: Chiefly Contemporary , 1869 ). In 1889, his book was published on the paintings and poetry of Dante Gabriel Rossetti , and in 1895 - a biography of D. G. Rossetti. In addition, when Christina Rossetti's poetry collections appeared, William Michael edited them. The memoirs, which are called “ Some Reminiscences ”, reflect his acquaintance with many famous personalities of the Victorian era .
In 1874, William Rossetti married Lucy Madox Brown , the artist and daughter of the artist Ford Madox Brown .
Proceedings
William Rossetti formulated the concepts of pre-Raphaelitism:
- Be sincere.
- To study nature and know how to accurately display it.
- Avoid someone else’s influence.
- And finally, work efficiently and well.
He was one of Swinburne 's first defenders in Criticism on Swinburne's Poems and ballads , 1866 . [2] William Rossetti was very fond of Shelley , participated in the reprint of his books, and even founded a literary society dedicated to Shelley ( Eng. Shelley Society ). He also published his brother's correspondence. [2]
He also made a huge contribution to the compilation of the British Encyclopedia . Here's an example of an excerpt from his article on Fra Angelico :
The deep “piety” of the paintings by Fra Angelico is, in fact, their main characteristic. Persons are surrounded by a halo of enthusiastic courtesy, ardent piety and such a light of reason, which is accessible only to the circle of the elect. Therefore, the paintings of Fra Angelico attract many people ... On the other hand, faces become oily and stiff, with an unnatural and asexual smile of religiosity, in which there is a touch of artificiality or even hypocrisy. Because of what some do not like these pictures. Despite everything, Fra Angelico is an outstanding person of his time ...
Original textThe "pietistic" quality of Fra Angelico's work is in fact its predominant characteristic. The faces of his figures have an air of rapt suavity, devotional fervency and beaming esoteric consciousness, which is intensely attractive to some minds ... the faces becoming sleek and prim, with a smirk of sexless religiosity which hardly eludes the artificial or even the hypocritical; because of this, there are some who are not moved by his work. Even so, Fra Angelico is a notable artist within his sphere, ... [3]
Selected Bibliography
- Rossetti, W. M. The Germ: thoughts towards nature in poetry, literature, and art . - L .: Aylott & Jones, 1850.
- Rossetti, U.M. Study of early Italian and German books of etiquette ( Essays on early Italian and German books of Courtesy ). - L .: Trübner, 1869.
- Rossetti, W.M. Walt Whitman . - L .: sn, 1876.
- Rossetti, W. M. American Poetry: A Collection of the Best American Poems. ( American poetry: a representative collection of the best verse by American writers ). - L .: Ward, Lock, 1880.
- Rossetti, W.M. Memoirs of Percy Bysshe Shelley . - L .: Slark, 1886.
- Rossetti, W.M. Dante Gabriel Rossetti as designer and writer ( Dante Gabriel Rossetti as designer and writer ). - L .: Cassell & Company, 1889.
Interesting Facts
- Back in 1871, Lucy Madox Brown portrayed her future husband in the image of the wizard Prospero in the painting “Ferdinand and Miranda Play Chess” , which allegorically depicts members of the Browns family and the complex relationship that existed between them.
Notes
- ↑ In the old Russian sources, William Michael Rossetti .
- ↑ 1 2 Rossetti, William Michael // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- ↑ Rossetti, William Michael. Angelico, Fra. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica .