Why did Dante Gabriel Rossetti stop exhibiting his paintings in public after 1850?

Dante Gabriel Rossetti stopped exhibiting his paintings in public after 1850 primarily because he could not bear the severe criticism his work received. When his painting Ecce Ancilla Domini (The Annunciation) was exhibited that year, it faced harsh negative reviews, which deeply affected him.1

As a result of this experience, Rossetti withdrew from public exhibitions and shifted his focus from oil paintings to watercolors, which he found easier to sell directly to personal acquaintances. Additionally, he moved away from traditional religious themes toward more imaginative subjects derived from literature, such as the works of William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, and Dante Alighieri.1