A dabble with Dante

Just rolls of the tongue nicely that title doesn't it. I refer not to the inferno but the pre-Raphaelite. One Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Yes, I have been partaking of a little of the Desperate Romantics again and it leads nicely onto this very post I was contemplating last night while attempting to sleep.

I realised that the weekend's Five Degrees of Inspiration post had indeed done its job - thinking of the magic of Italy manifested itself in Monday's Tuscan dreaming. Suddenly I was no longer short of ideas for posts this week - 5 posts on my 5 inspirations! One down, four to go.

What could possibly follow the Italian countryside? Well, you know how that little rascal inspiration works... one minute it's as coy as a fair maiden then next it's flirting and teasing. It dances the ideas before you, whirling and swirling with wild abandon.

First I toyed with a few words on my Muse but you'll have to wait for that one as Inspiration 2 most definitely decided to be 'artists and creatives' and who better tonight than Mr Rossetti with his rogue-ish charm and charisma. Oh yes, and the rather fabulous paintings! Add to the mix a little challenge I found lurking about on the web last night - 'create something purple' and we had the evening's entertainment.

So, while I observed Rossetti and pals (courtesy of the good old BBC) attempting to take the art world by storm whilst also trying not to ruin the reputation of fair maidens and knocking back copious quantities of Gin and substances of a dubious nature, I rummaged through my treasure chest for those little gems that said both 'purple' and respected one of the key principle of those Pre-Raphaelite painters: the beauty in nature.

Voila - my 'purple bloom' bursting forth in an abundance of earthy pleasure ... feeling at one with the flora and fauna. Yeah, whatever.... I do talk rubbish at times! It matters not, it was just great fun sloshing the acrylic about, rubbing the pastel, snipping and collaging and pretending I was a Victorian dandy! Methinks that now might be a good time to get some rest!

Thoroughly good pictures

"The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood"...

Just the name sounds rather romantic. The good old BBC have knocked out another classical drama for our delight, bringing to life on celluloid the majesty of the canvas created by these three young Victorian 'punks'. We romantics love a bit of revolution and they stirred up the art world as surely as they mixed their oils. Laughed at and ridiculed, they believed in their artistic values:

> To have genuine ideas to express;
> To study Nature attentively, so as to know how to express them;
> To sympathise with what is direct and serious and heartfelt in previous art, to the exclusion of what is conventional and self-parodying and learned by rote;
> And, most indispensable of all, to produce thoroughly good pictures and statues.

I rather like the last one - I think it's quite possible that despite the early criticism, they may have succeeded.

The message is there fellow creatives. Believe in yourself. Push yourself and above all, persuade others to believe in you too (they'll be the ones that end up paying you!).

I would like you to believe I painted this picture but suspect you may guess it was one of those Victorian rebels. A certain Mr Dante Gabriel Rossetti (they sure knew how to name themselves in those days!)