What is the Inferno according to Dante?
Inferno (Dante) In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".
Who created art inspired by Dante’s Inferno?
Artworks Inspired by Dante’s Inferno Sandro Botticelli (1445 -1510) Stradanus (Giovanni Stradano) (1523 -1605) William Blake (1757 – 1827) Paul Gustave Doré (1832 – 1883) William Bouguereau (1825 – 1905) Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917) Franz Von Bayros (1866 – 1924) Salvador Dalì (1904 -1989)
How many pieces of art are in Dante's Inferno?
A 72-piece art collection featured in Dante's Hell Animated and Inferno by Dante films. Dante's Places: a map (still a prototype) of the places named by Dante in the Commedia, created with GoogleMaps. Explanatory PDF is available for download
How does Botticelli’s art compare to Dante’s Inferno?
If Dante’s Inferno draws us in with the dark designs of hell, Botticelli’s artwork draws us in with levity. Botticelli, alive at the height of the Renaissance, lived about a century after Dante. Sandro Botticelli was the apprentice of Filippo Lippi, whose innovations in depicting religious icons would forever shape the field.
What is Dante's Inferno painting?
The Map of Hell (in Italian La Mappa dell'Inferno) by Botticelli – regularly called The Abyss of Hell or La Voragine dell'Inferno – is one of the parchments that the famous Italian painter designed to illustrate an edition of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
What does Dante's Inferno symbolize?
The Massive Allegory So Dante's personal crisis and journey through Hell could represent every man's moment of weakness and his descent into sin. This is apparent from the very beginning. The dark woods and night might symbolize man's sin while the path – which Dante has lost – is the virtuous man's way of life.
What is the message of Dante's Inferno?
The theme of equilibrium between reason and faith is one of the core messages of Inferno and it is essential in conveying the main idea of the Divine Comedy and of the pilgrim's journey that the exploitation of intellect and the misuse of will is the cause of sin, and that through faith, those who are morally lost find ...
Is there a painting called Dante's Inferno?
Botticelli's Inferno - Dante's Hell in Art He painted and drew hell as described by the poet Dante. The work was considered lost for centuries. Even during his lifetime, the works of Renaissance painter Botticelli were highly regarded - the powerful Medici family were his patrons.
What does she wolf represent?
The she-wolf stands for avarice (extreme greed). Her wasting away seems to display her desire. She is empty and has wanted for so long that now she is desperate for anything. No matter what she gains or takes, she will always crave more.
What are 3 themes seen in Dante's Inferno?
Sin, Justice, Pity and Piety As it narrates a journey through hell, Dante's Inferno is essentially a tour of all kinds of different punishments for different sins.
What is Dante's philosophy?
The Convivio. The fullest expository expression of Dante's philosophical thought is the Convivio, in which commentary on a series of his own canzoni is the occasion for the expression of a range of ideas on ethics, politics, and metaphysics, as well as for extended discussion of philosophy itself.
Who was inspired by Dante's Inferno?
Paul Gustave Dore (1832-1883) Perhaps the most important and influential of all the artists inspired by Dante is Paul Gustave Dore. Born in Strasbourg in 1832, Dore began to draw at the age of 16 and went on to work as an illustrator, first for newspapers and then for publishing houses.
Where is the painting Dante's Inferno?
These drawings travelled all over the world and exchanged hands many times. But today they are divided between the Vatican Library in Rome, where the Botticelli Map of Hell is kept (and not displayed to the public) and Berlin's Kupferstichkabinett.
Who did the drawings for Dante's Inferno?
Two Florentine natives, born 200 years apart, left their marks on Italian identity. Dante's Inferno was given new life by Sandro Botticelli.
What does Dante mean by the intermixing of colors?
The intermixing of colors show vitality. In other words, life. In Hell being an empty sameness of darkness and coldness, Dante is symbolically communicating through colors and imagery that Hell is a place without life because it is a place without love.
What is the message of Dante?
The message from Dante is not subtle at all: rebellion, the seed of disorder, is the road to hell. Adam’s fall was also because of his rebellion . He tried to seize, for himself, what was not given unto him—namely, the power to choose what was good and what was evil to derive one’s happiness.
Why is hell disordered?
Hell is disordered because it is not ordered to anything; it is not ordered to family, friendships, or the common good, hence why hell is a chaotic place (circles 2-5) and an increasingly isolated “hell hole” (circles 6-9). Hell reflects the rejection of man’s rejection of his social, relational, and filial nature!
Why did Satan fall in the ninth circle?
The hellish city that is Hell, pun intended, is the way it is because of rebellion. Satan fell because of rebellion. The ninth circle is filled with traitors and rebels, those who betrayed their king and country, their families, and their god/God.
What is the theme of Dante's side conversations with various Italians in Hell and Purgatory?
Civil strife in Italy is a major theme in Dante’s many side conversations with various Italians in hell and purgatory. It is the case that Dante weeps for the strife and disorder in Italy, and Dante was an early Italian nationalist.
What is Dante's order of life?
The ordered life is what brings contentment and moves one to the gates of Paradise; which is what the second and third books of the Divine Comedy lead us to.
What is the lighting and temperature of hell?
The lighting and temperature of Hell is an allegorical reference to Catholic theology concerning love and beauty. The lack of love and beauty in hell is also reflected in the changing facial complexions of not merely the residents of hell, but also our two protagonists. Dante’s face grows paler and paler, indicative of his losing life as he ...
What is Dante's Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno, written in the late medieval period, is a three-part epic poem that imagines the kingdoms of the afterlife. While exiled from his hometown of Florence, Dante penned the poem that would go on to be one of the defining works of the medieval period. Botticelli, the painter of the above portrait, depicts Dante with laurel leaves, the signature of laureate poets.
Who gave Dante's Inferno new life?
Two Florentine natives, born 200 years apart, left their marks on Italian identity. Dante’s Inferno was given new life by Sandro Botticelli.
Why is Dante's life so well documented?
Dante’s personal life was well-documented compared to his contemporaries, likely due to his extensive writings and political career. Because of the intricate details woven throughout Dante’s Inferno and the entire Divine Comedy, scholars are even able to ascertain which books and artworks Dante had access to throughout his life. Dante also wrote the Divine Comedy, in his mother tongue, the Tuscan variety of Italian. His choice to use his native tongue instead of Latin would later shift Italian linguistic identity to favor Northern varieties of the dialect.
What is the sixth circle in Dante's Inferno?
The sixth circle of Dante’s Inferno punishes the heretics. Dante, in red, and Virgil, in blue, are drawn throughout the canvas, to show the duo making their way through the circle. When Dante is shown alone, he is talking to a condemned soul. The two also stop by the tomb of “Anastasio Papa Guardo.” This refers to Pope Anastasius, who did not believe in the idea of the Holy Trinity — the idea that Christ is both “the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Because Pope Anastasius did not believe in the spiritual aspect of Jesus, he is punished alongside others who do not believe in souls.
Who were Dante Alighieri and Sandro Botticelli?
Sandro Botticelli and Dante Alighieri are both quintessential names from their respective time periods. Dante’s daily life in the late Medieval period was dominated by Christianity and its associated organizations. Botticelli, commissioned by the Medici family, would be asked to draw scenes from Dante’s Inferno and the entire Divine Comedy.
Where is Botticelli's painting?
Botticelli’s renowned works, such as The Birth of Venus and Primavera, are still housed in the Uffizi Gallery. His works are the defining portraits of the Renaissance. One of Botticelli’s paintings recently went to auction, where it was predicted to sell for $80 million USD, although it ultimately fetched $92 million USD.
What is the Renaissance of Botticelli?
On the other hand, Botticelli’s Renaissance works embody the spirit of classicism. He and his contemporaries celebrated the contributions of the classical world, and actively sought to emulate their works. This leads us to wonder about the finer details of how Botticelli was asked to portray scenes from Dante’s Inferno. Botticelli was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici to complete drawings of each canto in Inferno. These drawings were completed on parchment but were never finished. The images selected focus on the Inferno.
Who led Dante to the afterlife?
In the 14,233 verses of this poem, Dante envisions a trip to the afterlife, guided first by the Roman poet Virgil, who leads him through Hell and Purgatory, and then by his beloved Beatrice, who leads him through Paradise.
When was the Barque of Dante completed?
The Barque of Dante (1822) Completed in 1822 by French artist Eugène Delacroix, this work signals the artist’s shift from Neoclassical style to Romanticism. Delacroix depicts scenes from the 8th Canto of the “Inferno.”.
What does Botticelli's Canto XV depict?
In this illustration, Botticelli depicts damned souls who have harmed nature, art or God. They appear naked and tormented, locked within a system of embankments that prevents their escape.
Who was the artist who painted the Divine Comedy?
Stradanus, Canto VIII (1587-1588) Flemish painter Jan van der Straet, known by his Italian name “Stradanus,” completed a series of illustrations of the Divine Comedy between 1587 and 1588, currently preserved at the Laurentian Library in Florence.
Did Blake complete Dante's painting?
Blake never fully completed his project, but left behind some harrowing depictions of Dante’s work, which combine faithful depictions of his descriptions with the painter’s own interpretation of sin, guilt, punishment and salvation.
What is Dante and Virgil in Hell about?
While he is best known for paintings such as L’Amour et Psyche, he is also the author of Dante and Virgil in Hell, the painting that ties him to The Divine Comedy. In Canto VII, Dante and Virgil encounter falsifiers, which include alchemists, counterfeiters, perjurers, and imposters.
Who was the French sculptor who was fascinated by Dante's ability to “sculpt” his characters through language?
Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917) Rodin claimed that he never went anywhere without a copy the Divine Comedy in his pocket. This French sculpter was fascinated by Dante’s ability to “sculpt” his characters through language. The work that bound Rodin to Dante is the Gates of Hell.
What is Dan Brown's illustration of Canto 8?
In Inferno, Dan Brown refers to the illustration of Canto 8 by Stradanus. In that canto, the wrathful and slothful are punished. It is at this point that Dante and Virgil cross the river Styx with the help of the infernal ferryman Phlegyas.
Why are Botticelli's paintings comparable to his later works?
They are comparable stylistically to his later works because they are full of archaic elements and because the figures therein do not contain traits of realism. Botticelli’s evident admiration for Dante is exemplified in a portrait of Dante that he created in 1495, still very famous today.
What figure is on the door on the right?
The Thinker (Dante himself) stands above the abyss. On the door on the right is the recognizable figure of Count Ugolino.
Who created the structure of the afterlife?
Today, those who can picture scenes from The Divine Comedy have probably seen a drawing by Gustave Doré.
Who wrote the Divine Comedy?
In 1550, Giorgio Vasari wrote that. Since Botticelli was a learned man, he wrote a commentary on part of Dante’s poem, and after illustrating the Inferno, he printed the work. It is noteworthy that the first commented edition of The Divine Comedy was published in Florence in 1481, at which time the popularity of this poem was growing.
What does Dante use in the Inferno?
In the Inferno in Divine Comedy, Dante uses endless symbolism to bring a deeper meaning to his thrilling adventure through hell. Nearly every aspect of the book contains a symbolic meaning. This is apparent in the punishments that Dante sets down from a wrathful God to the sinners. For each of the many different categories of sinners, Dante creates a punishment that fits the specific sin perfectly. There are also many other prominent instances of symbolism throughout the book, including the many settings in which the book takes place and Virgil and Beatrice.
What is the symbolism of Dante's book?
There are also many other prominent instances of symbolism throughout the book, including the many settings in which the book takes place and Virgil and Beatrice. First of all, Dante’s use of symbolism through the punishments is one of the main ways he conveys the wrong of the specific sin. Starting in canto three, one starts to see ...
What does the horned demon mean in Bolgia 2?
The horned demons who drive them symbolize the sinners’ own vicious natures, embodiments of their own guilty consciences. 1 In bolgia two are the flatterers, who are sunk in excrement. The excrement symbolizes the true equivalent of their flattery in life, and how it all amounted to crap.
Why is Dante never allowed to speak?
Because he never spoke a truth, now he is never allowed to speak. Dante also uses the settings in which the novel takes place to convey more of a message than just the beasts and punishments. The first major setting is the Dark Wood, where Dante has lost his way. One could read into the dark forest in many ways.
How to look at chaos in medieval times?
One way to look at it would be as a physical manifestation of chaos, which is the way many in medieval times would have seen it. Another way to look at it would be to consider how influential Virgil was on Dante. In one of Virgil’s works, the Aeneid, he describes the entrance to classical hell as a dark forest.
Why do the disciples end up in a fiery tomb?
The fact that they are in a tomb is symbolic of their false teachings. They said that the soul dies with the body, and so their souls end up in a fiery tomb. There are three parts to circle seven.
What does the robe of a hypocrite represent?
The robes are magnificently gilded and decorated, symbolizing the outward appearance of a hypocrite. The inside of these robes are filled with amazingly heavy lead though, symbolizing the true nature of the hypocrites that could not be seen through men’s eyes.
What was the reception of the painting of the body?
The reception of the painting was mixed from the start, garnering much praise but also criticism on religious and artistic grounds. Both the amount of nudity and the muscular style of the bodies have been one area of contention, with the overall composition being another.
What does Michelangelo's instant represent?
This instant represented by Michelangelo ends up having a universal connotation, as if it symbolizes the moment when life ends and no hope remains. The entire painting is dominated by the human figure, almost always presented fully naked. The bodies are represented with great expressiveness and power.
How many frescoes were destroyed in the Perugino period?
During this phase, three frescoes that were painted on upper the wall by the Italian painter known as Perugino were destroyed, as were two lunettes painted by Michelangelo himself over twenty years earlier. The result was the creation of space to paint one great piece of architecture.
What is Michelangelo inspired by?
Michelangelo’s masterpiece was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and is mentioned by Dan Brown in his Inferno.
How long is the interval between the two frescoes?
Between the two frescoes is an interval of almost 25 years, and one can witness between the two a change in Michelangelo’s artistic vision.
Who painted the drapery?
The task of painting the covering drapery, the so-called “ braghe ” (pants), was given to Daniele da Volterra, since then known as the “ braghettone .”. Daniele’s “braghe” were only the first and in fact others were added in the following centuries.
Did Michelangelo work alone?
Michelangelo worked alone for the entirety of the project, with the exception of minor assistance for the manual preparation of colors.
Overview
Inferno is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding t…
Prelude to Hell
The poem begins on the night of Maundy Thursday on March 24 (or April 7), 1300, shortly before dawn of Good Friday. The narrator, Dante himself, is thirty-five years old, and thus "midway in the journey of our life" (Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita ) – half of the biblical lifespan of seventy (Psalm 89:10, Vulgate; Psalm 90:10, KJV). The poet finds himself lost in a dark wood (selva os…
Nine circles of Hell
Virgil proceeds to guide Dante through the nine circles of Hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the centre of the earth, where Satan is held in bondage. The sinners of each circle are punished for eternity in a fashion fitting their crimes: each punishment is a contrapasso, a symbolic instance of poetic justice. For example, later in the po…
See also
• Allegory in the Middle Ages
• Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy in popular culture
• Great refusal
• List of cultural references in the Divine Comedy
Notes
1. ^ There are many English translations of this famous line. Some examples include Verbatim, the line translates as "Leave (lasciate) every (ogne) hope (speranza), ye [Modern English: you] (voi) that (ch') enter (intrate)."
2. ^ Mandelbaum, note to his translation, p. 357 of the Bantam Dell edition, 2004, says that Dante may simply be preserving an ancient conflation of the two deities; Peter Bondanella in his note to the translation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Inferno: Dante Alig…
External links
• Dante Dartmouth Project: Full text of more than 70 Italian, Latin, and English commentaries on the Commedia, ranging in date from 1322 (Iacopo Alighieri) to the 2000s (Robert Hollander)
• World of Dante Multimedia website that offers Italian text of Divine Comedy, Allen Mandelbaum's translation, gallery, interactive maps, timeline, musical recordings, and searchable database for students and teachers by Deborah Parker and IATH (Institute for Advanced Technologies in the …