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Rose Period:
Ever since the Middle Ages the pope has, on Laetare Sunday, blessed a golden rose which he bestows on some beneficiary. Some Italian writers have declared that the term sub rosa is derived from the fact of consecrated roses being placed over the confessionals at Rome to denote secrecy, the rose being a symbol of silence. In legend, Saint Dorothea, who suffered martyrdom under Fabricius, made a convert of Theophilus by sending him some roses from paradise. The rose is an attribute of Saints Casilda, Elizabeth of Portugal, Rose of Lirna, Rose of Viterbo, Rosalia, and others.In cubism there was no room for the unreserved pathos of the Blue Period orthe ingratiating aestheticism and melancholy of the Rose Period. It was not until after cubism that Picasso returned to more traditional patterns. But even then he did not use antique sculptures again, but adopted a classicist style.
In heathen mythology the rose was dedicated to Aphrodite and was claimed either to have been created from the blood of Adonis or to have been caused by the sea foam dropping from the newly created Aphrodite bursting into bloom. In mythological evolution the rose became a symbol of Eros, later of the Muses and of the Graces. Dionysus (Bacchus) also had a rose as attribute, hence this flower decorated the guests at banquets. In this context it may be mentioned that the rose has always been the queen of wreath flowers and ornamental expression of beauty. In antithesis the rose was a symbol of decay; hence an emblem of death.
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