Astarte Syriaca 1878

Dante Gabriel Rossetti made this oil painting, Astarte Syriaca, in England during the 1870s. Rossetti’s painting encapsulates the Victorian era's fascination with ancient cultures and mythology, particularly those of the Middle East, which were often filtered through a Western lens. Rossetti depicts Astarte, an ancient Middle Eastern goddess of fertility and sexuality, as a Pre-Raphaelite beauty. This fusion of ancient and contemporary ideals reflects the cultural milieu of the time. Rossetti’s choice of subject and style challenges the conservative artistic norms promoted by institutions like the Royal Academy. The Aesthetic movement questioned the Academy's emphasis on moralizing and historical painting, and Rossetti turns instead to the sensuous and the decorative. To truly understand this painting, we might delve into the writings of classical scholars or explore the history of archaeological discoveries in the Middle East during the 19th century. Art history teaches us that art is never created in a vacuum.