Proserpine by Rossetti

Went to Tate Britain today, especially for their Pre-Raphaelite collection. All the magnificent paintings I'd always seen in print and wondered about were there in front of me and the effect was stupendous. The painters and their women; their poems inscribed on the frame...some on my mind made it process where past and present collided. What I like best about their paintings is their narrative quality which I guess is not surprising considering I've devoted the best part of my life to narratives. Look at 'Proserpine' by Rossetti and how he uses the myth of the maiden trapped in the dark underworld for six months of every year of her life and spending that time longing for light. Look at how the painter captures the pensive expression in the model's eyes. Of course, it is Jane Morris, the wife of Rosetti's best friend William Morris who Rossetti was in love with. Maybe it is Rossetti's subjectivity at work here: seeing Jane as Proserpine, trapped in marriage. I love how Dante uses the burst of color in the pomegranate to contrast with the lush darkness that envelops Proserpine on all sides. Yet there is a hint of light...as if spring is almost here and she will be free again. Did I say I loved the Pre-Raphaelites?!!