Rossetti In An Artist's Studio
Christina Rossetti's sonnet "In an artist's studio" almost seems todescribe Renoir paintings, many of which contain the same female face.However, Rossetti's poem is rich with metaphorical undertones that suggestdeeper themes of beauty, truth, and illusion. An artist paints the sameface over and over in his work; she never changes, never ages, neverappears older. In short, she is an idealized vision of a woman, one who is"not as she is, but as she fills his dream," (14). Rossetti composes hersonnet in the Italian, or Petrarchan form, with the standard fourteen linesdelivered in iambic pentameter with an ABBA ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme.Unlike the Shakespearean sonnets, the Italian form does not include aheroic couplet, or two rhyming lines, at the end of the poem. However, theoctave and the sestet are distinct sections; the octave describes thenameless, timeless woman, and the sestet offers meaningful insight into thepsychology behind the artist's idealization of her form. "In an artist's
Here, the effect is on emphasis;Rossetti uses repetition to underscore the character of the woman inquestion. Finally, the last three lines of the sonnet also begin with thesame word; in this case, a negative clarifier: "Not wan with waiting, notwith sorrow dim; / Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright; / Not asshe is but as she fills his dream," (12-14). Moreover, the woman "sits or walks or leans," (2). Christina Rossetti's artist romanticizes and idealizes a woman andpaints her as a static, doll-like, ageless and changeless girl. "One face looks out from all his canvasses, / One selfsamefigure sits or walks or leans," (1-2). She is a "queen," "a saint, anangel," (5; 7). Later, the poet straightforwardly reveals that the woman in thepaintings is not realistically portrayed: "She is not how she is, but asshe fills his dream," (14). This adds extra rhythm to an already strictmetrical form. The poem thus serves as a metaphor to describethe tendency of all people to see things or people as they would like toand not necessarily as they are. Furthermore, Rossetti notes that thewoman is also "nameless," meaning she is truly an illusion (6). Her static beauty detracts fromreality and from true artistic genius. Interestingly, with modern technological advances,even photographs can carry the same emptiness and illusion as a paintingdoes. Likewise, linesfive through seven all begin with the indefinite article: "A queen in opalor in ruby dress, / A nameless girl in freshest summer greens, / A saint,an angel - every canvass means," (5-7). The artist managed to create a lovely, timeless and enduringlybeautiful face but she will forever remain unreal. he nature of illusion, especially in regardsto physical beauty.
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Acceptance Essays
