What drama was portrayed by Rossetti in the painting "Found", and what has the calf to do with it?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Dante Gabriel Rossetti has reworked and corrected his canvas "Found" many times. And all because I wanted to create a religious canvas with deep spiritual messages. However, as a result, the leader of the Pre-Raphaelites created a life picture with a dramatic story. The prototype of the heroine was Rossetti's favorite model, Fanny Cornforth. What plot did the artist hide in his painting, and what role does the calf play in it?

About the artist

Dante Rossetti was born in May 1828 into a family of Italian immigrants living in London. The boy's father, Gabriel Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti, was a scientist, professor of Italian at King's College and a poet who was expelled from Italy for supporting revolutionary nationalism (by the way, the love of poetry was passed on to the young Rossetti). His mother, Anglo-Italian Francis Mary Poldari, was the daughter of an exiled Italian noble scientist who, in addition to her maternal responsibilities, worked as a private teacher. The passion for learning and parenting was passed on to all four children: Gabriel, Christine, William and Maria.

Rossetti was surrounded from childhood by the art and literature of medieval Italy. He loved to write plays, poetry and paint. Dante was able to develop his precocious talents (for painting and writing) through a combination of home schooling and education at King's College. He reread the Bible, adored Shakespearean tragedies, Edgar Allan Poe and Byron's poetry. As a teenager, he was torn between aspirations to become a poet or artist and often claimed that his true passion was writing and poetry.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti later became the founder and leader of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement, some of which supported their working class models. Pre-Raphaelite artists were always looking for special and exceptional women who could be invited to work for them as a model. The Pre-Raphaelites even trained their models, encouraging their artistic abilities in every possible way.

The plot of the picture

The plot of the painting "Found" is based on the poem by William Bell Scott "Rosabell" and depicts a very dramatic moment. A young farmer from the village came to London to sell his calf at the market. On the way, he discovers a girl with whom he was once in love (this is the same "Found"). She became a lady of frivolous behavior and was left without a livelihood on the streets of the metropolis.

This painting is the only large-scale example of Rossetti's work, fully reflecting the principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Firstly, the artist depicts a scene from modern life as realistically as possible instead of cozy pastoral scenes that could then often be seen at the annual exhibitions of the Royal Academy. Second, Rossetti boldly portrays the devastating social problems that emerged from the Industrial Revolution and the accompanying urban growth in 19th-century Britain. Last but not least, the picture is incredibly detailed.

Heroes

The model is the favorite muse and model of Gabriel Rossetti Fanny Cornforth. The golden-haired beauty became one of the unforgettable faces in the art of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Fanny Cornforth's life was closely tied to the life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Fair or unfair, but it is his art that determines the impression of painting fans about her.

In the picture, the heroine is dressed in a light dress with red flowers, on top of which is a gray fringed shawl, and a hat with a blue feather hangs on the back. The hero is dressed in light clothes, which symbolize his honor and dignity. The man is certainly surprised to see his beloved lying against the wall right on the street. But there is also pity in his emotions. He seems to want to "pull out" his beloved, not only in order to bring her to her senses, but also to get her from the bottom of social life.

Symbols

The viewer must have noticed a green ribbon tied around her neck (these are the shackles of dishonor and shame that she had to face). The calf here is not only the reason for the man's arrival. It metaphorically symbolizes the sad situation of the heroine, in which she found herself. The nets that hold the calf can be compared to the nets in which the heroine is entangled. The networks that led her to death. Is she dead? Given her pale greenish complexion, yes, she's dead.

It is curious that the artist has corrected and reworked this canvas many times. For example, straws that were picked up by birds were supposed to fall from the cart. However, Rossetti ruled out this religious symbol. Initially, the canvas was supposed to be precisely spiritual, religious, instructive. But the result, as the viewer sees, has become vital and realistic. It is not surprising that Rossetti's painting made a splash at all exhibitions. English writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll was delighted with the work of the Pre-Raphaelite: "The hero's face expresses a mixture of pain and pity, condemnation and love, this is one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen in painting." Currently, Rossetti's work adorns the walls of the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington (USA).